(Photo credit: Stephanie Trapp/Mayweather Promotions) By Gerardo Granados: Once you are able to avoid taking side with a boxer then you might be able to appreciate the virtues and flaws of both Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr without bias, as they head towards their fight on May 2nd at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. As for Pacquiao and Mayweather loyal fans it is almost impossible to reason with them of why one of them would lose, because a fan boy will never accept his fighter is the underdog and is more likely to lose the bout. The boxing experts know very well how to spot the flaws on a fighter and also are able to distinguish the strengths and weakness on the different boxing styles but casual fans are a different story.
It’s true there are many ways to watch a bout without having to pay a dime, it is also true that you would not pay one hundred notes for a glass of water unless there was a major severe drought in California, but fortunately for us the fight fans we have always been blessed by Ares the Greek God of War with countless epic battles year after year.
Maybe at this moment the reader is at work reading this article and perhaps you have already made plans for the upcoming May 2 mega fight. Possibly your fellow workers will watch the fight too, but have you ever asked them if they know what is a jab or how do you sit down on your punches? I wonder if the answer will be “a jab?” or “you throw punches not sit on them”. The quality of match making is really important for hardcore fight fans because they are more demanding but the Boxing Industry might as well survive thanks to these loyal fans and at the same time make huge revenues out of the countless casual boxing fans who will believe and buy anything they are told to be a good product even if to do so a fight need to be constantly hyped by all the media coverage available.
This is indeed an interesting fight but it is a totally different fight compared to if it had taken place six years ago. Back then the Mexicutioner was hungry for fame and glory; the Pacman´s ferocious fighting style was a delight and the aggressiveness of the Filipino warrior had no match. But six years later the Congressman has changed and now he is more a thinking boxer puncher than the beast he used to be. As for Floyd he still is pretty much the same boxer, maybe he might have lost a little speed but he still is fast; and undoubtedly has better footwork and also is a better boxer than Tim Bradley and Chris Algieri.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFFwNbNXLOs
I think Manny has a punchers chance; he has great speed, power and mobility but he fights at mid – long range which benefits Floyd. It is a fact that Pacquiao is dominant against pressure fighters who don’t possess great footwork, defensive or counter-punching skills. He has not been able or is unwilling to finish off his opponents when they are ready to get knocked out. Manny leaves big holes on his defense and gets counter with ease by boxers with speed. After his last knockout loss he has been carefully matched against light welters who have average power and has never fought a guy that can puzzle him inside the ring so he never needs to adjust.
Floyd is the best defensive counter puncher of this era, has a good chin and his ring IQ and ability to adjust belongs to the elite level of competition. Money feast on pressure fighters who can’t adjust or become predictable on their attack; he also is able to time them and performs better at a long – middle range. He is not a power puncher but has enough power to force opponents to respect him.
It is more probable that this fight ends in a boxing chess match than a fight of the year nominee, Floyd has already stated that he would be smart so he will box and move, wait for openings and counter; Manny will do what he does best and throw five punch combinations constantly moving in an out chasing down and cutting off the corners.
I like Manny because he is a great guy but before anything I like the most is Money but don’t get me wrong I don’t mean Floyd but cash or FIAT currency so I will place my bet on Mayweather to win by Unanimous Decision. I know that I can be wrong and that might be the reason why the betting odds are getting closer, but I am not a fan of either Floyd or Manny so I have decided based on experience. I lost a big bet when Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. and Pernell Whitaker fought to a controversial draw so this time I won’t let my boxing taste influence my decision.
Have the reader placed his bet yet?
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