By Wayne Lloyd: Mayweather v Pacquiao is on…. This is the headline that every boxing fan in the world is waiting for and if Pacquiao v Mosley is the fastest selling match up in history with some 16,000 tickets being sold in 3 hours then hold onto your hats if this fight is realized. As we already know this match-up puts the most exciting, attack minded boxer of all time into the ring with arguably the greatest defensive boxer of all time and what a mouth watering prospect that is!

I have watched the bouts of both these intrepid fighters over the years with great interest and my thought process at the end of each of bout has followed a consistent path. After every Pacquiao fight I am certain that it will be impossible for Mayweather to win and then after every Mayweather fight I am certain that it will be impossible for Pacquiao to ever win and this is certainly the case for many experts and fans across the world. Indeed, not since Pacquiao stepped up in weight to dismantle De La Hoya in 2008 have my opinions been any different; however, as I was walking out of the MGM Grand Garden last weekend I couldn’t help but think that if Pacquiao had produced the same level of performance (as he did against Mosley) when in the ring with Mayweather then he would definitely be going home with another loss to add to his record.

Now I am a huge fan of Pacquiao and I flew to Las Vegas from London to show my appreciation; however, apart from round 3 Pacquiao did not show us any of the flare or the free flowing combinations that he has rightfully been associated with on previous occasions. As I watched the fight unfold I couldn’t help but think that if Mayweather Jnr was his opponent then Floyd would not have much to do in order to overcome Manny and I certainly didn’t see anything that would have tested his unblemished chin. Simultaneously, I also agree that Manny did not really have too much of a challenge in the form of Mosley; however, if we compare the performances of both boxers against the legendary ‘Sugar’ Shane then it would be fair to consider Floyds as the more emphatic of the two. Furthermore, Mayweather’s performances against Hatton and Marquez have also been nothing short of breathtaking. Technically he is flawless with natural hand speed, perfect agility, coordination, a strong chin and perhaps more importantly natural power – for Manny Pacquiao I feel that this will be a fight too far.

Clarity of my argument is important; however. Manny Pacquiao has all of the attributes of Floyd Mayweather and it is my belief that the level of respect that Pacquaio gave to Mosley will not be extended to the Mayweather camp should this fight ever happen. There seems to be a level of animosity between both camps and rightfully so. Furthermore, with the greatest trainer of all time looking after him it is quite a formidable force that Mayweather will have to overcome. Unfortunately it looks increasingly likely that Marquez will be next up for Pacquiao which will be a fantastic fight in its own rights.

Mayweather too will have to have another fight to shake off his ring rust before this fight happens and he has a number of well documented personal problems that will hopefully be resolved in September. If he is cleared and I hope for the sake of boxing and justice that he is then we might not see this fight until the middle to later part of 2012.

My money is on Mayweather.