By sishaq: Boxing enthusiasts are starting to get excited about the upcoming ‘Fight of the Century’, between Floyd “Money” Mayweather Jr. and the magnificent Manny Pacquiao. Although we’re all still recovering from PTSD since riding shotgun on a roller-coaster of negotiations that took longer than WWI to end, as the saying goes all is fair in love and war.
Unfortunately, the buildup hasn’t produced much of either since neither side is making any bold predictions or talking trash to amplify the tensions as one would have liked (where’s Prince Naseem when you need him?).
Both sides are banking even with outrageously priced (and non-existent) tickets, a weak undercard and Bob Arum constantly complaining we’ll all just turn up in droves fight night. Perhaps. What isn’t in doubt is that everyone with a pulse has an opinion on the best strategy and outcome (including yours truly at the end of the article).
One thing I found interesting is these two fighters are such polar opposites that oftentimes their persona is reflected in their fan base. Floyd is an enigmatic paradox, anti-establishment, unpredictable, self-serving, narcissistic, megalomaniac and riddle. Manny on the other hand is humble, loyal to a fault, God-praising, selfless and a loving husband. Floyd thrives on the bad boy, villain, top dog persona. Freddy Roach summed it up best, “it doesn’t take a lot to figure out why everyone is rooting for Manny. Just look at which fighter has the most endorsements going into this fight and why. When Manny beats Mayweather, it won’t only be about unifying the welterweight titles, it will also be a public service.” Nonetheless, both proudly represent their country, maintain their family bonds, and respect the fight game. That’s why regardless of your opinion of the other fighter you have no choice but to respect what both legends have accomplished.
Now, before I get to my much anticipated fight prediction I’d like to digress and pivot to the third wheel in this drama. As an unabashed and unapologetic Amir Khan fan boy let me express my severe disappointment in the Money Man. Not only did he ignore his own poll where his fans selected the former unified world champion to be his opponent this time last year, but he dodged him two more times since. Boxing purists are keen to point Amir has superior height, hand speed, agility and strength over Floyd (and Manny). He has an impressive resume and star power, therefore one can only conclude Floyd agreed to fight Manny simply to avoid Amir. Yes, that’s right!
I can hear the keyboard warriors readying to unleash hell’s fury upon this blasphemous article. Yes, they’ll astutely point out King Khan shouldn’t have given unheralded Chris Algieri an opportunity to come out of the cage. It’s true Khan broke the boxisphere internet when he initially announced the fight with this choice of opponent. Many of his critics and even some of his fans were left dumbfounded and scratching their head trying to make sense of it given the numerous options in the deepest division in the fight game. On the surface it appeared he could select from the powerful Keith Thurman, the formidable Timothy Bradley, the mercurial Adrien Broner and everyone’s top choice, Kell Brook. There was even some talk about Juan Manuel Marquez, Marcos Maidana and Miguel Cotto at a higher weight. I personally would have loved any of those other guys so I was with the critics, initially. As fight fans we sometimes lose perspective that boxing is a business. At the end of the day what looks great on paper may not be so great for the bottom line. Take Keith Thurman for example who has called Khan “overrated” and easily “dismantled”. Yes, Thurman looked like a world beater prior to this year but in his last two bouts he’s looked pedestrian-esque. He barely edged out a 40 year old Bundu and went the distance with an over the hill Ghost Guerrero. Neither fight did much to attract more followers, in other words a living room full of people as your total fan base doesn’t make for a pay per view headliner!
But the loudest complaints came from Kell Brook supporters after Khan turned down a lucrative domestic bout. Kell summed it best, “if someone said to me you can get five million quid, a world title, fight at Wembley with a fight that every fan wants to see, it’s a no-brainer for me…Yes I feel frustrated, wherever I go it’s always Amir Khan, when are you going to fight him? He’s delicate around the whiskers and he knows I’m coming for that chin of his.” It was somewhat humorous Khan informed Kell he needs to do more to build the hype and better to take it on next year. The Special One crowd however can’t take another day more their guy subjected to #2 status in the UK. Their entire lives revolve around dreaming up schemes to lure Khan into a fight because they’re convinced once there he’d lose, get ridiculed/exiled and retire forever, and ever. Like eating from a box of chocolates they savor explaining Khan’s loss to Briedis Prescott. Problem with that is Khan was only 19 years old back then and Prescott has since proven to be a fringe Fight Club one-trick pony. But those minor details don’t deter or discourage the haters because their ace card is the loss to Danny Garcia. In their smart phones they’ve maxed out their storage space with countless glass jaw and bambi leg memes. Never mind Garcia’s eyes were closed when he landed the luckiest lotto punch of his life, or that back then Khan’s defense had more holes then swiss cheese, or that Khan was weight drained and therefore less able to absorb a power punch (sorry, but the Maidana fight proved he can handle a big puncher). Unfortunately for the haters, Garcia has since gone on to become one of the most prolific cherry pickers in the sport (see 82nd ranked Rod Salka) whereas Khan has gone from being great to elite. He now has the discipline of when to unleash his exciting offense and when to rein it in, comprehends how to exploit angles and spacing, patiently counters shots with superb timing, lands flurries with accuracy and is a round per round point generating machine. The Virgil Hunter-coached Khan is a bona-fide beast.
The inmates like to laugh off the notion Khan belongs in the conversation with Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao. The irony is to some Algieri was a formidable opponent for Manny on PPV and the gatekeeper to a Floyd bout but is a cab driver for Khan (smh). Ricky Hatton (someone who actually knows what he’s talking about and has been in the ring with both Floyd and Manny) says, “I think Floyd would run a mile from Amir Khan, not from a fear factor, obviously, but styles make fights. Amir’s a lot more disciplined, boxing in and out, not getting involved. That style will cause Floyd massive problems. Someone who’s going to beat Floyd has to have fast hands, fast feet. Khan can beat both Floyd and Manny”. Freddy Roach “considers Khan a legitimate threat to both”, respected analysts Pauli Malignaggi and Roy Jones Jr don’t disagree. Now who knows something about boxing? PPV streamers, prolific selfie generators, groupies and casuals? Or current and future Hall of Famers? Anyways, the point is once King Khan locks the cage, Floyd needs to stop ducking from the only fighter on this planet that can give TMT a run for the money.
Now that I got that off my chest let me get on with my fight prediction. Regarding Money, Marcos Maidana showed a blueprint that could prove to be successful. Force Floyd to the ropes and run up the punch count to 100 per round on the lying in the weeds Mayweather to catch him with a flush shot and/or rack up points. The problem was Maidana’s missiles lacked GPS which is why he only connected on 22% of his total punches and lost. Manny has far superior accuracy and therefore can reasonably be expected to connect on at least 50% of his punches. With a high work rate that will include significant power punches it wouldn’t be surprising if Manny wins on points. Alternatively, the blueprint on Manny was also exposed. Juan Manuel Marquez showed Manny’s unorthodox movements can be timed and cause a KO. Both fighters seem to have prepared themselves to execute these blueprints. The recent pictures of Floyd suggests he’s bulked up his upper body in order to absorb and land power shots, whereas Manny’s pictures show he’s leaned up to gain the edge in speed, work rate and agility. The difference is Floyd has world class Muhammad Ali inspired defense and defense wins championships. I suspect Floyd will pull the old rope a dope on Manny to not only tire Manny out but also to take away his edge with speed and mobility. The less movement around the ring the better for Floyd because that will allow him to sit on his power shots and utilize his superb counter striking capabilities. Although my heart is pulling for Manny logic is telling me to go with Floyd. Prediction: Mayweather by KO! What’s yours?
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