By Andrew Muldoon: So it now looks like we will at last get so see the two best fighters on the planet go toe to toe in what will probably be the biggest fight in history, a modern day rumble in the jungle if you will only a lot bigger. In one corner we have Floyd Mayweather Jnr, love him hate him his ability is undeniable, a five weight world champion with not a single blemish on his record. A master technician who has perfected the art of defensive boxing. An absolute joy to watch when he’s in full flow, he is the boxing purists dream. In the other corner we have Manny Pacquiao, loved for his all non-stop action style, titles in a whopping seven different weight classes. the only man ever to achieve such a feat and the scary thing is he improves with every fight.
In his last fight the Pacman was outstanding, make no mistake abpout it Miguel Cotto was and still is an elite welterweight and he came to fight as he always has but he was blown away by the Filipino whirlwind. This was not a bad day at the office for Cotto either, it was just sheer brilliance from Pacquiao that brought the stoppage. It was clear from as early as the second round which way the fight would go. Manny took Cotto’s power and came back for more and when the two started to exchange blows it was always Cotto who you thought would come off worse, and he did. By round ten it was survival mode with some saying was even merciful to Cotto out of respect for the Puerto Rican. Come the eleventh round the referee was itching to step in and he did so, not long into the final stanza. A man who started his professional career at 107lbs was now battering one of the worlds best at 147lbs, i was in awe…..
In Mayweather’s last outing he was also in fine form, out-boxing Juan Manuel Marquez who himself is no slouch (no.2 p4p going into the fight), for the twelve rounds it was like Floyd had never been away, slick defence and lightening counters earned himself a landslide points win over the former lightweight king. Now you may say Marquez had to put “x” amount of pounds on for the bout and this would have hindered him and made him slow and sluggish which is a valid point but at the end of the day speed was never Marquez’ strong point and he just wasn’t in Mayweather’s league on the night which meant there was only going to be one winner.
So now for the fight the world wants to see, Manny Pacquiao’s irresistible force meets the immovable object that is Floyd Mayweather Jnr. Will it happen? yes I think it will definitely happen. Floyd has come out and said he wants it, he wants Manny to come out and say “I want Floyd Mayweather” Obviously its going to take a lot more than that with the whole purse split and the issue with Bob Arum and Mayweather but i have a feeling ego’s will be put to one side to make this event happen.
As they say styles make fights and this one is no different, there are a few aspects which I have picked out that i think will ultimately decide the outcome.
*Will Mayweather be able to cope with Pacquiao’s relentless attacks for twelve rounds if needs be? a tough task but yes, his defense is good enough but if he gets caught and decides to trade in the middle of the ring he could end up on his shorts or even knocked out, this is the most important part of the fight i feel. Mayweather must keep his discipline.
*Can Pacquiao take Floyd’s shots? Yes, just look at the Cotto fight, he took some good shots and kept coming and Cotto is as powerful as any welter out there.
*Can Mayweather get to Pac? Yes, its no secret that Manny gets hit and Floyd is as accurate as they come but wether he can hurt him is another story.
*Pacquiao’s gameplan – Nobody hes managed to come up with the blueprint to beat Floyd Mayweather yet. Roach has came very close with Oscar though, can Manny pull it off?
The ill-fated prediction.
Here goes,
Roach and Floyd snr will engage in verbals for the whole series of 24/7 whilst Floyd jnr will continue to tell the world how great he is. We will hear stories of how Manny is destroying his sparring partners.
In the ring i cant look past Floyd on points, as good as Manny is and however great his accomplishments are i just dont think he would pull it off. Floyds defense will frustrate him and it could end up being a whitewash.
I cant see it being an edge of your seat barnstormer but it wont be no chess match either, somewhere in the middle I think. certainly one for the purists out there. After the fight Manny will retire, run for office in the Philippines and win by a landslide. Freddie Roach will continue to train more champions and Mayweather will continue to tell the world how great he is, only this time we will believe him.
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