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Mayweather vs. Pacquiao Preview: Who Wins?

As May 2 now quickly approaches there is no more wishful thinking or hoping for the day that the two best pound-for-pound boxers in the world, Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, would meet in the ring.

Mayweather Pacquiao

As May 2 now quickly approaches there is no more wishful thinking or hoping for the day that the two best pound-for-pound boxers in the world, Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, would meet in the ring.

Fight week has arrived, the dream fight is really happening and there is only one question left, who will win?

Floyd “Money” Mayweather is the American unofficial king of kings in today’s boxing world. His supreme reign is due to his unblemished 47-0 record as well as the quality of opponents he has faced. Mayweather has beaten an astounding 21 world champions in his career.

Money May,” to this date, has proven himself unconquerable by anyone else who has attempted the task, so can Pac Man be the one to dethrone the king of modern day boxing? Does he have what it takes to put the blemish on Floyd Mayweather’s 47-0 undefeated record?

Pacquiao is a great offensive southpaw fighter with a 57-5-2 record; he is the first and only eight-division world champion, in which he has won 10 world titles. Pac Man is very good at creating pressure on his opponents, his awkward style is hard for opponent’s to defend, and his ability to retain his composure in fights is immaculate.

The unfortunate issue Mayweather opponent’s face is that not being able to hit your opponent induces frustration and thus causes one to abandon their original game plan. Mayweather is very quick, smart and defensively solid. His infamous shoulder rolls are pure poetry in motion and consequently landing punches flush against Mayweather can become what seems like a nearly impossible task.

In order to have success, Pac will need to remain composed in order to stick to his game plan, and to avoid the frustration trap that Mayweather baits his opponents into with his swift defense.

The best plan of attack for Pacquiao will be to throw flurries of speedy combinations, then cut off the ring when Mayweather moves around in hopes to beat him to an opening and get his shots off first. This game plan, if used effectively by Pacquiao, could possibly tire and frustrate Mayweather as the fight wears on, making Mayweather look less dominant than usual.


Read RBRBoxing’s #MayPac Predictions


The very deep-rooted cockiness and the sheer pride of Mayweather not wanting to lose should give boxing fans a primed, hungry and more alert version of Money May on fight night than they have ever seen.

There is no doubt that under long-time trainer Freddie Roach, Pacquiao will be very well prepared. But the possibility is high that he could be slightly over anxious for this big fight and thus be less sharp than usual in early rounds, but Pac should return to his normal form as the fight continues.

As a highly decorated world boxing champion, you are given certain perks, like being able to select your possible opponents, venues, and other deciding factors during the fight making process. No boxing champion on this earth is given more weight in the process of fight negotiations than Mayweather himself, and rightfully so.

Mayweather’s ability to draw crowds, sell pay-per-views and his unbeaten record are all incomparable. In the fight negotiation process, in order to make the fight with Pacquiao happen, Mayweather was the A-side and thus was allowed all of his standard perks.

Mayweather gets to hold the fight on his chosen turf of the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada on his selected date of May 2. In this super fight, time and location will play a huge factor into Mayweather obtaining a victory over Pacquiao.

In my opinion, it seems like an insurmountable task for Pacquiao to go into Las Vegas on “Cinco De Mayweather” weekend and uncrown the king of boxing in a place where Mayweather is so highly adorned. Lastly, and possibly most importantly, Mayweather’s side was given the benefit of approving the referee for the fight.

The referee selected is no nonsense referee, Kenny Bayless, who was recently in charge of the action during Marcos Maidana’s rematch and loss to Mayweather. The reason this selection was made by Mayweather and his camp is to avoid any bullying tactics that could be used by Pacquiao.

Maidana gave Mayweather a great deal of trouble during their first fight by roughing Mayweather up during clinches, and wrestling him around when he was able to close the distance. This highly physical tactic interrupted Mayweather’s offensive timing, frustrated him and thus disrupted his typically smooth flowing defense.

Pacquiao is an awkward style southpaw, but bullying is in no way his specialty, but just in case he does get the itch to use any dirty boxing, it should be quickly ceased with Bayless in control.

Neither Floyd nor Manny seems to hold much knockout power these days, so most will agree a knockout seems unlikely for this fight. I do believe, if given a fair shake, that Pacquiao has the skill set to beat Mayweather.

Unfortunately, I think all of the perks provided to Mayweather will give him the advantage needed to edge out a win over Pacquiao on the judges scorecards.

Ultimately, I think given the odds which have been stacked against him, the best outcome that Pacquiao can obtain come May 2 is a draw. My prediction is Mayweather beats Pacquiao by decision.

Regardless of the outcome our generation’s big super fight is finally happening. The two best pound-for-pound boxers in the world, Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, will meet in the ring this Saturday, May 2 and that in itself is a win for boxing history.

 

How do you think this fight will play out? Let us know who you think will win Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao on May 2.


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