By Edgar Solorzano: Pablo Picasso once stressed, “Everything you can imagine is real.” Lucky Picasso, the boxing politics never touched his heart with the forceless jab that knocks fighters down while still standing on there feet. Politics is a mental battle that not many fighters can avoid.
No jab, hook, or shoulder roll can defeat the politics in boxing. Different battles require different tools, and to defeat the politics, one must start the battle with the pen and paper. While Picasso was an artist that painted the canvas with fresh paint; he could teach a few things to these modern artist that paint the canvas with fresh blood one jab at a time.
The majority of the fight-fans want to see the Mayweather-Pacquiao battle take place. The fight will never hit reality for one simple reason. The fight-fans must know that Bob Arum has to negotiate with Al Haymon; these are two well-respected professionals with the ability to make the fight happen. Unfortunately, these two cannot sit down and talk without disagreeing. It is highly unlikely to see these two in the same room with two pens and a piece of paper that could make history.
Even though the fight will not happen, I will still break down the fight and stress why Floyd Mayweather is capable of defeating Manny Pacquiao. The boxing media does a great job hyping up fights, however; writers can rarely predict fights blind folded. Many writers use the pen, the ears, and often forget they have eyes to see the truth. The action that takes place in the squared-circle is like seeing a math problem being solved. Like math, after seeing several patterns, an educated prediction can be made that could be likely wrong if the unexpected upset dissolves the pattern like pi. A great example of misinformed patterns is believing that Canelo had a better chance of beating Floyd Mayweather than Manny Pacquiao. To compete at the elite level, skill can only win few rounds. Psychologically, the mind has to be used to controlling emotion. If a person runs into a wild dog for the first time, he will most likely panic and will begin to tremble. This is the James Lange psychological theory on emotion. According to this theory, witnessing an external stimulus leads to a physiological reaction. Your emotional reaction depends upon how you interpret those physical reactions. This applies in the sport of boxing, if a fighter experiences the elite level for the first time, he will most likely choke due to not being able to control that new emotion his mind is experiencing. However; Manny Pacquiao has been there, therefore, not only does he have the skill to give Mayweather a tough battle, he has the ability to control his emotions in the ring. By having that ability, Pacquiao can think straight and land sharp punches. Emotion is the key to success in boxing, getting angry or frustrated can affect the frontal lobe of the brain, the section that affects thinking.
Now let me cut to my prediction unlike the fighters that fail to cut the ring. There are three simple reasons why I believe Floyd Mayweather would defeat Manny Pacquiao without a problem. However; there is one big reason why I could be wrong.
Reason #1. People forget Floyd Mayweather does have the ability to knock people out. They underestimate the hook that knocked out Hatton. It is not the power that makes him dangerous; it is the timing. Floyd does have the ability to stop fighters, however; he has had hand injuries in the past. He could have stopped Mosley, but Floyd was too smart to risk an injury when he was clearly winning the fight.Mayweather also has the clean jab to set up that sharp hook. Pacquiao has always had problems with counter-punchers. Marquez was able to knock him down before knocking him out. Timothy Bradley was able to land big hooks as well. Pacquiao is clearly not the same fighter he was in 2009. Funny we have seen technology develop, a man skydive from space, and yet, we cannot see any progress that could make this battle a reality. Back to my breakdown, Mayweather has the reach to land those long powerful hooks, and with the help of the jab, he can manage to create enough distance to stay away from Pacquiao’s dangerous left.
Reason #2 Floyd Mayweather is the best defensive fighter in the sport of boxing. Landing a clean shot against Floyd is quite difficult, it must be earned with patience, will, and discipline. Pacquiao does not have many strategies, he performs well against fighters that come forward like Margarito, Rios, and even Miguel Cotto fought him toe to toe. The way I see this fight is like the Joshua Clottey battle, except with well timed counter-punches. Also, lets not forget the upper-cut that comes at random times. Floyd has an excellent upper-cut that breaks down fighters little by little. He landed several against Miguel Cotto.
Reason # 3 Floyd is too smart to go toe to toe with Pacquiao. His defense is not the only thing that helps him conquer fighters without stress. What makes Floyd great is the ability to know when to turn on the killer instinct that can stop a fighter, and when to turn it off to frustrate him mentally. Manny Pacquiao has not faced a fighter with that incredible ability. On top of that, Floyds foot-work is still sharp. It gives him an incredible advantage, choosing when to fight in the middle of the ring and when to go near the ropes for his shoulder roll. Lastly, Pacquiao cannot adapt like Mayweather does in between rounds. Adaptability is a great advantage; it will always help win battles.
Even though I gave three clear reasons why Floyd Mayweather could most likely defeat Manny Pacquiao, there is one major reason I could be wrong. Something I cannot predict. If Floyd Mayweather truly believes he cannot beat Manny Pacquiao, then he cannot do it. If he does not step in the ring, it will hurt his legacy. A legacy is something money cannot buy; it must be earned. If Floyd truly believes it is too risky for him, then he is right. Whatever the mind believes, the physical body will follow. If Floyd Mayweather is forced to fight Pacquiao and jumps in the ring believing it is a big risk, that could change things when fighting the only fighter that is without a doubt an elite athlete with great skills.
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