Tale of the Tape
Floyd Mayweather | Manny Pacquiao | |
---|---|---|
Record | 47-0, 26 KOs | 57-5, 38 KOs |
Age | 38 | 36 |
Height | 5’8” | 5’6” |
Reach | 72” | 67” |
Weight | 147 | 147 |
Stance | Orthodox | Southpaw |
Hometown | Las Vegas, NV | General Santos City, Philippines |
Rounds Boxed | 363 | 407 |
The tape highlights quite a few factors that are critical to the outcome of this fight.
Notice that Floyd Mayweather is taller and has a longer arm reach advantage than Manny Pacquiao. This is important because in recent fights, Mayweather has been using his jab more frequently and effectively against his opponents. His reach also compliments his fighting style that thrives on the outside.
Pacquiao, being the smaller guy (about 2 inches shorter) and having the shorter reach, will have to work around Mayweather’s arm length to get to the inside. However, height differences have not hindered Pacquiao’s ability to dominate his opponents before, as we witnessed when he defeated a much taller Oscar De La Hoya in 2008.
The match up of Pacquiao’s southpaw and Mayweather’s orthodox stances will certainly make for an interesting match up of two legendary fighters. What Makes Mayweather and Pacquiao legendary is not just their impressive skills, but also the experience they’ve accumulated over the course of their careers that has put those skills to the test. While Mayweather boasts a perfect record, Pacquiao boasts victories over some of his same opponents including Juan Manuel Marquez, Shane Mosley, Miguel Cotto, Ricky Hatton, and De La Hoya.
In other words, these two guys have seen a lot in their day, but they have yet to face each other. Based on the physical stats and experience of each veteran, all signs of the tape point toward this fight being a competitive one.