By EH: Tomorrow marks an event of historic proportions which will not only shake the sporting world, but also the financial structures embedded within every professional sporting institution. Several exorbitant details include tickets being sold at $100K a piece, Pacquiao’s shorts containing $2.2million worth of sponsors, Mayweather’s $25000 mouth-guard, each fighter earning upwards of $3.33 million (Floyd Mayweather) and $2.22 million (Manny Pacquiao) PER MINUTE, and the worth of the event exceeding the GDP’s of 29 nations.
The astronomical figures alone portray an event that has transcended the realms of sporting extraordinaire, and that is exactly what has happened as the boxing bout between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao looms.
Fallacies surrounding the Fight
Amidst the plethora of analysts, journalists and fans who have made their predictions, the truth is that no one can assert that their fighter will triumph over the other come May 3rd. The euphoria over the event has blinded its audience to the extent of ridiculous and illogical fallacies- with the most popular of them being:
(1) Manny Pacquiao got knocked out by Juan Manual Marquez, who was absolutely annihilated by Floyd Mayweather- Therefore, Mayweather will dominate Pacquiao: Boxing is a sport of styles. It is nigh impossible to utilise common opponents as a threshold for performance, as there are limitless variations in the art of boxing. Pacquiao’s struggles against an opponent Mayweather dominated (Marquez) is synonymous to Mayweather’s struggles against opponents of whom Pacquiao obliterated and retired (De La Hoya & Hatton), which only highlights the ridiculous nature of this assertion.
(2) Of the 5 common opponents between Mayweather and Pacquiao (Marquez, Mosley, Hatton, Cotto, De La Hoya), Pacquiao has defeated them all whilst ending two of their careers (De La Hoya and Hatton). Conversely, Mayweather was almost knocked out by Mosley, was bloodied by Cotto and barely scraped past De La Hoya- which means Pacquiao will defeat Mayweather: Ditto from (1).
(3) Pacquiao’s reckless style- which resulted in his KO loss to Marquez, will present him as a sitting duck for Mayweather’s precision punching: There is no doubt that Pacquiao lacks Mayweather’s defensive prowess. Nonetheless, this ‘reckless’ and ruthless aggression has perpetuated Pacquiao’s legacy as a legend killer- with a Hall of Fame list of boxers (Berrera, Morales, Marquez, Mosley, Cotto, De La Hoya) all brutally falling to Pacquiao’s destructive style. We know Pacquiao gets hit, by more often or not he outhits his opponents. And wins.
(4) Mayweather has struggled against southpaws, therefore he will struggle against Pacquiao: Mayweather may prefer being matched up with orthodox fighters, but he is 47-0, with several notable southpaws included in his list of victims. His victories over Zab Judah and Victor Ortiz are prime examples of his capability to dominate southpaws who are both fast and powerful.
(5) Pacquiao has not knocked out anyone in almost 6 years, and that is his only available method to defeat Mayweather: In those 6years, Pacquiao has defeated 4 opponents who were/is ranked in the top 5 pound-for-pound rankings, including capturing the WBC Light Middleweight title against a fighter who weighed 17 pounds heavier (Antonio Margarito), as well as dominating the ranked 3rd pound-for-pound and previously undefeated Timothy Bradley. Knockouts are impressive, but winning is all that matters.
(6) Mayweather doesn’t like facing volume punchers or opponents with similar hand speed, which will work against him against Pacquiao: Mayweather has beaten fighters with superior hand speed (Zab Judah), superior punching power (De La Hoya, Maidana, Mosley), and superior punching rates (almost everyone he has fought). His record stands at 47-0.
The reality is that despite the fight fans’ tendency to conjure absurd and illogical reasoning to convince ourselves that the boxer we support is superior, it ultimately comes down to the 2 fighters who will face-off in the squared circle on May 3rd. Of course, the strengths, weaknesses, fight record and styles of each fighter will contribute towards the eventual outcome, but when a fight of this gargantuan magnitude is on the horizon, both camps would have studied their opponent’s strengths and weaknesses, with the fighters left with the responsibility to execute their fight plans to perfection come fight night.
Styles Make Fights
It is intriguing that the strengths and weaknesses of each fighter matchup in nigh-perfect unison. Floyd Mayweather- the boxing genius who has defeated all 47 of his opponents, is a masterful pugilist who could very well go down as the greatest defensive fighter of all-time. Renowned for his ‘shoulder-roll’ stance, Mayweather has out-landed and out-boxed every fighter (except Jose Luis Castillo), with his weaponry arsenal headlined by his straight lead right which repetitively connects with deadly precision. This is accumulated with an extraordinary sense of ring generalship that has allowed him to embarrass the very best in the business, leaving opponents swinging at thin air time and time again. However, Mayweather has needed a longer adjustment period when facing southpaw fighters; and has concurrently been troubled (troubled meaning a punch actually landing on him) by fighters whose styles involve relentless pressure and aggression, as shown by his close majority/split decision wins over Maidana and De La Hoya. However, none of his opponents possessed a style embodying all of the aforementioned traits, that is, until now.
Manny Pacquiao- whose southpaw stance is packaged with devastating speed in both hand and footwork, as well as a pressuring style often amassing nigh-1000 punches, presents the very nightmare Mayweather has sought to avoid over his historic 19-year career. Pacquiao’s speed has been the fulcrum of a machine who is the only fighter to win world titles in 8-weight divisions, with his trademark straight left now partnered with a new and improved right hook. However, Pacquiao’s style has rendered him not as effective against master boxers and counterpunchers, with his epic quadrilogy against Marquez a prime example. Except, Mayweather is no Marquez. Mayweather possesses the deadly precision punching feared by the boxing world, matched with a boxing IQ surpassing any fighter of the modern era. Moreover, Pacquiao’s reckless aggression leaves him vulnerable to Mayweather’s trademark lead right- which stands as Mayweather’s best tool to deliver a knockout on fight night.
Ultimately, the virtues and flaws of both fighters appropriate in perfect harmony, hence setting the platform for a fight that has been labelled ‘Fight of the Century’ for very good reason.
Concluding Remarks
On May 3rd, the world witnesses a battle of the ages between 2 legendary fighters who were destined to meet. The brash, arrogant African-American vs. the gentle, passive Filipino; the egotistic businessman vs. the passionate preacher; the money-making machine whose life has revolved around perfecting the craft of boxing vs. the Filipino congressman destined to be his nation’s president; the masterful defensive genius vs. the relentless offensive juggernaut. Ladies and gentleman, sit back and enjoy the show.
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