Fight fans, the time has finally come. The moment that people never thought would happen is upon us. It is fight week and not only a big fight week, but arguably the most hyped fight week of all time. On Saturday, May 2nd, the grand event that boxing has been asking to happen for five years is finally going to happen. Floyd “Money” Mayweather will finally step into the same ring to square off against Manny “Pac Man” Pacquiao. The bout will take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada and will be for the WBC, WBO, and WBA World Welterweight Belts.
Floyd Mayweather is the highest paid athlete in the world. He is brash, cocky, flashy and has had his fair share of criticism outside of the ring. However, inside the ring, he has been arguably boxing’s top technician of this generation. His defense is unquestioned as the best defense in the sport and he is known for his high connect rate of punches thrown. He is even recognized as the innovator of the “Shoulder Roll” even though he was not the 1st to use it, as it was known as the Philly Shell and used over 50 years ago. Floyd Mayweather’s legacy will not live and die with a win or loss here, but it could elevate him into the even higher tier of all times greats.
Manny Pacquiao is the guy that just wants to make everyone happy. He is the 1st and only person to win a world championship belt in eight divisions. He’s been named boxer of the year three times and also boxer of the decade in the 2000s. His style of high volume aggressive punches from multiple angles has been unmatched by anyone in the sport. He can retire now and will be looked at as one of the best boxers of all time.
His rivalry with Juan Manuel Marquez is considered one of the best in the sport. Despite being a politician, a coach of a Filipino basketball team, and a singer outside the ring, Pacquiao’s legacy will always be based upon his boxing career. A win here could make his name legendary, not just in the Philippines, but all over the world.
At 38 years old, Floyd Mayweather is still considered the best boxer in the world today. With an unblemished record of 47-0 with 26 stoppages, Mayweather has gone through a gantlet of top boxers. Some of the best wins on his resume include: Shane Mosley, Canelo Alvarez, Ricky Hatton, Juan Manuel Marquez, Diego Corrales, Arturo Gatti, Miguel Cotto, Carlos Baldomir, Robert Guerrero, Marco Maidana (twice), Jose Luis Castillo twice, Angel Manfredy, Genaro Hernandez, Victor Ortiz, Zab Judah, and the Golden Boy, Oscar De La Hoya. Despite Mayweather’s willingness to take every advantage he can get against his opposition, no one can deny the success he has had throughout his career.
The 36-year-old Manny Pacquiao (57-5-2 with 38 KOs) has a star-studded list of victims of his own. Pacquiao has faced and defeated: Timothy Bradley Jr (arguably twice), Marco Barrera (twice), Ricky Hatton, Miguel Cotto, Shane Mosley, Antonio Margarito, Oscar De La Hoya, Erik Morales, and Juan Manuel Marquez. Pacquiao has five losses and 2 draws in his career: Losses to Erik Morales, Medgoen Singsurat, and Rustico Torrecampo and two draws to Juan Manuel Marquez and Agapito Sanchez, all coming over ten years ago. He has two recent losses, which were a controversial loss to Timothy Bradley and the punch heard around the world when he was knocked out by Juan Manuel Marquez.
By winning this fight, Floyd Mayweather can elevate what is already a hall of fame career. Mayweather has made it a point over recent years to call himself TBE (The Best Ever). While people get mad at this and ask how he could dare say that, a win would allow him to say pretty much whatever he wants. He will have defeated such a long list of top competitors, that he will have earned the right to call himself TBE. He is already known as the smartest businessman in boxing. If he were to defeat Manny Pacquiao there would be nothing left for him to accomplish.
On the other hand, Manny Pacquiao can gain even more than Mayweather in this fight. For anyone that doesn’t like Mayweather, and there are a lot of them, Manny Pacquiao will be their guy on Saturday. Pacquiao has a chance to be the one that everyone has been waiting for. The guy that finally humbles Floyd Mayweather Jr. People love seeing a bully get their comeuppance. Entire movies have been written around the concept, and there are many people out there that would classify Mayweather as a bully. As the underdog, Pacquiao doesn’t have much to lose. His fans will love him no matter what, but what he can gain is immeasurable.
This fight can go a few ways. Manny can come out and attack Floyd at awkward angles with an aggressive style and ability to cut-off the ring that lets him bank enough early rounds to give him the decision. Floyd can somehow do what he has done his entire career and make his opponent miss all night long. For people looking closely, Manny may throw a lot of punches, but not connect much and be countered over and over again during the fight with Floyd cruising toward a decision. Possible as they may be, I see the fight going a different way. I see Floyd playing defense with his offense. He will fight a similar fight to how he fought Zab Judah and Canelo Alvarez. Pacquiao will try to force the issue and get caught by Floyd, who for once will be the bigger man in the ring.
When it’s all said and done, I can only see two possible outcomes, Mayweather by split decision, whether it’s controversial or not or Mayweather by KO. Pacquiao has been knocked out three times, and he doesn’t like facing counter-punchers. The same fate that happened in the Marquez fight could happen here and despite people saying Mayweather no longer has any power, keep in mind that he typically is the smaller person in the ring. One of the few times in recent years, he wasn’t was against Cotto, and he may have been able to stop him if he pushed late in that fight.
This fight will be more than a fight. It is even more than just a big event. With floor ticket pushing 100k in prices, this will be an event like no other. For the just over 16k people that will be in attendance, this will be a once in a lifetime moment for them. By the time Saturday night is over people will be happy, people will be angry, people will be sad, and people may be bewildered.
However, by the end of Saturday night, the debate jumps to a new level and who is the best boxer of our lifetime… or we’ll have a draw… but that’s boxing, enjoy the epic fight.
