Today is February 26, 2015, and it has been six days since Floyd Mayweather Jr. posted an image of the signed fight contract for his bout against Manny Pacquiao. It is also 65 days until the first round bell rings for one of the most anticipated fights in the history of the spot. As always the case, the main question at hand is: who is going to win?
“The only thing I hope, that the young cat Mayweather, I hope they do give him his proper credit. Now he’s fighting Pacquiao, and what can you say? And if he should beat Pacquiao, now can you say he’s the greatest of all time? Do you have a problem with him saying it then, or does he have to dig up Ray Robinson too?” said Naazim Richardson via Hustleboss.com. While Naazim doesn’t clearly indicate his pick, he has always been fond of Mayweather Jr., and the fact that Richardson brings up the possibility that Mayweather Jr. could possibly be the greatest of all time, speaks for his judgment of the undefeated champion.
Naazim Richardson picks Mayweather Jr.
“Floyd is the best at side-stepping and movement. He’s very quick and hard to hit. Pacquiao is a great guy when it comes to offense and trying to break a person down. He’s trying to knock you out so it’s a great match-up between styles. Mayweather Jr. has all the advantages, that natural ability and rhythm. I think Floyd has so much talent, quickness, and that natural ability to win. It really depends on his heart,” stated Lennox Lewis. I think that while Lewis attempted to stay neutral, stating that Mayweather Jr. has all the advantages, he has turned in his vote for Floyd.
Lennox Lewis picks Mayweather Jr.
“Pacquiao will definitely win. Pacquiao is just too tough and too strong. Pressure and a lot of punches just beats Floyd up,” said trainer Nacho Beristain via Ringobserver.com.
Beristain picks Pacquiao
“Not only will I break the fight down for you, I will give you a prediction. Now, I could be wrong, but then again, I could be right. The first 5 or 6 rounds, it’s going to be a back and forth fight because of Pacquiao’s aggression. But Pacquiao is not the best defensive fighter. Mayweather is going to sharp shoot, and not only is Mayweather going to fight back when he needs to, but after that 6th round, it’s done. I believe the second half of these 12 rounds gonna be target practice for Floyd. And it’s going to be a situation where, is he putting a show on just so people can get their monies worth or is it just that easy. That’s my bold statement and I stick by it, now let’s wait 8 to 9 weeks and see what happens,” affirmed Bernard Hopkins via Fighthype.com. Again, a very direct and dedicated prediction for Mayweather Jr.’s victory. Hopkins has a very good point, in that Pacquiao’s output may be too high to sustain consistency for the entire 12 rounds. On the other hand, will he have to sustain it for that long? Will Freddie Roach come up with a different strategy for the big fight? It is true that Mayweather Jr. has an unbeatable accuracy, thus throwing wide shots just for the sake of delivering combinations, is not something that team Pacquiao should be allowing themselves.
Bernard Hopkins picks Mayweather Jr.
“Everybody wants to see it…I have to say Floyd…I give him the edge…his foot speed and hand speed, and how elusive he is in the ring, it’s difficult for a lot of fighters to get in on him…I don’t think anybody is beating him,” stated former Mayweather Jr. foe Robert Guerrero to Fighthype at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mcqNqjK1UM . Expecting to do great against Mayweather Jr. back in May of 2013, Guerrero ended up being taken to school, with Floyd making it nothing more than a laid back sparring session for himself. This is what happens too often when facing a ring virtuoso in Mayweather Jr., and according to Guerrero, it won’t be any different for the Filipino superstar Manny Pacquiao come May 2. Guerrero also touches on a very important topic, and that is the fact that while Mayweather Jr. is exceedingly hard to land on, Manny Pacquiao tends to welcome a brawl, thus ends up being right in front of his opponents often enough.
Robert Guerrero picks Mayweather Jr.
“Manny isn’t knocking people out as much anymore. The fight is at 147 pounds. That might give Mayweather a slight edge. I think you have to make Mayweather the favorite. I don’t think that much has changed. Clearly Pacquiao has a skill set that Floyd has not faced too often in his entire career, not just as a welterweight champ. That’s one of the reasons that people are excited for this fight. You make Floyd the favorite, but Pacquiao is obviously dangerous,” said Steve Farhood to 8countnews.com. A slight edge is a very safe prediction for this fight. Many people are starting to lean towards Mayweather Jr more due to the lack of recent knockouts by Pacquiao, Miguel Cotto being the last TKO in 2009, same year he delivered a spectacular knockout of Ricky Hatton.
Steve Farhood picks Mayweather Jr.
“Styles make fights. Manny by late KO or decision. The role of the cornerman is very important because it will be a very tactical fight. Manny’s style is ‘contrapelo’ to Floyd. War, Manny, war!” said Gerry Penalosa to Philboxing.com. A very interesting statement by Penalosa. Aside from the styles, Penalosa mentioned that this fight will require a lot of strategy, suggesting that Freddie Roach is the perfect man to lead Pacquiao to a KO victory. A very bold prediction, but if this forecast works with an Mayweather Jr.’s opponent, Pacquiao is the one.
Gerry Penalosa picks Manny Pacquiao
“Come May 2nd, a clinic will be conducted. School is in session, Pacman,” Tweeted Steven Smith. Clearly Smith expects the same result as with any other Mayweather Jr fight: his opponents being toyed with and slowly broken down as the fight progresses, until Floyd lands at will without nothing landing in return. Is Smith conducting a direct comparison between any of the former Mayweather Jr. opponents and Pacquaio? I am not so sure there is a direct parallel.
Steven Smith picks Mayweather Jr.
“Floyd Mayweather has great defense. One of the most defensive fighters there is in the history of boxing. That’s why at his age, 37 years of age, he still has a body and movement, he still has everything, all the reflexes like a 21-year-old. Pacquiao is quicker, he throws more punches but don’t forget Mayweather has all the greatest defense. I still gotta go with Floyd Mayweather on this one,” said Joe Cortez via Thaboxingvoice.com. Pacquiao is one of the most aggressive offensive fighters ever, as Mayweather Jr. is one of the best defensive fighters ever, thus picking the winner might not be as easy as it may sound.
Joe Cortez picks Mayweather Jr.
“Manny is a great fighter but when you look at the trouble he had with the counter-punching style of Juan Manuel Marquez, he could be in serious trouble with Floyd Mayweather. With that said, Manny will take a lot of heart from how Marcos Maidana was able to test Floyd and compete with him. For that reason, I give Manny a great shot in the fight because Mayweather has slowed down a touch. Floyd always finds a way to win, no matter the style, and that’s the reason that I make him a slight favorite over Manny,” Ricky Hatton said to RingTV.com. It is undeniable that Manny Pacquiao’s knockout of Ricky Hatton, derailed and ultimately ended Hatton’s career. Hatton seems to believe that Floyd’s aging and Pacquiao power can potentially lead to Manny’s victory. Still Hatton give the nod to Mayweather Jr due to his ring IQ.
Ricky Hatton picks Mayweather Jr.
“I got Mayweather. Pacquiao’s a great offensive fighter. He throws a lot of punches, he is really explosive, but Mayweather makes you fight his fight all the time,” Mares said to Thaboxingvoice.com. Many former Mayweather Jr opponents have mentioned the inability to fight according to plan against Floyd. This is the main problem, and something that we have all heard before: there doesn’t seem to be a blueprint to beat Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Abner Mares picks Mayweather Jr.
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