Unless you have been living under a rock, you all know that the biggest fight in boxing history was announced and confirmed by Floyd Mayweather last Friday. It instantly sent a shock wave across the globe. The Philippines must have erupted in celebration for their champion that would finally face his most coveted opponent. Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York all across the United States, Mexico and in the rest of the planet boxing fans were glued to their television screens listening in awe as the fight was confirmed for May 2,2015.
Now that the smoke has cleared and we have had time to digest the biggest announcement in the boxing world, let’s take a look at the biggest event in boxing history. This fight will break all records. The guaranteed purses will be split 60/40 with Mayweather (47-0 26 KO’s) getting $120,000,000 plus a percentage of the pay per view and live gate sales. Pacquiao (57-5-2 38 KO’s)will get paid $80,000,000 plus a percentage of the sales as well.
The WBC stated it would make a special belt for this event, a belt with diamonds and emeralds for the winner. Pay per view is expected to be close to $100.00 and average ticket prices are going for about $9,000. The MGM Grand is hosting the fight, which was completely booked 15 minutes after the announcement of the fight. All the little details have been agreed upon, They will be using the regulatory 8 ounce gloves, USADA will be performing random drug testing, Mayweather will enter the ring last and be announced last.
This event will be co-featured by HBO and Showtime. The announcers will be Roy Jones, Al Bernstein, and Jim Lampley. The ring announcers will be both Jimmy Lennon Jr. and Michael Buffer taking turns announcing the fighters. Last but not least the two fighters. On one corner you have Floyd Mayweather Jr. and across the ring you have Emmanuel Pacquiao, two current welterweight champions who have dominated the sport for most of their respective careers rising through multiple divisions in the process.
Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao is ten-time world champion in a whopping and record-setting eight different weight divisions. Pacquiao started his boxing career in the light flyweight division (107 lbs) and now campaigns in the welterweight division (147 lbs) and held a title in the junior middleweight division (154 lbs) that is impressive even by today’s’ standards.
Pacquiao has a professional record of 57 wins 5 losses 2 draws with 38 knockouts but don’t let his record fool you two of his losses and one of his draws were early in his career back in the flyweight division when he was a teenager fighting men. In 2001 and making his US debut on national television Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao took the boxing world by storm starting an incredible run of destroying his opponents with incredible speed and power.
He was relatively unknown to the general boxing public before his annihilation of then IBF super bantamweight world champion Lehloholondo Ledwaba. He would go on to this incredible run fighting and destroying his opponents which included a trio of Mexican greats Erik “El Terrible” Morales, Marco Antonio Barrera, and Juan Manuel Marquez. His first Mexican victim was Barrera in 2003; the Pacman stopped this future hall of fame warrior in 10 rounds.
The next great Mexican to step into the squared circle with Pacquiao was Dinamita Marquez. By now we had all witnessed the power and speed Pacquiao was born blessed with but someone failed to tell Juan Manuel “Dinamita” Marquez, but he would find out real early.
In the very first round, Pacquiao surprised and hurt Marquez dropping him three times! It was the third knockdown in the very first round where I didn’t think Marquez was going to get up, but it was this exact moment that history would be written. By the divine powers above us Marquez got up from that third knockdown, and shockingly the referee allowed the fight to continue, and this would be the beginning of one of the most historic rivalries in boxing.
The round ended, and the crowd was at it’s feet as Marquez wobbled to his corner. In the second round, the fight changed course as Dinamita made adjustments and started out boxing Pacquiao by fighting intelligently even hurting Pacman a couple of times in the fight. At the end, the fight would be declared a draw. Both champions left their heart in that ring that night. They would go on to fight three more times in their career, and each fight was a barnburner.
After three fights and even though Pacquiao won the next two fights by highly controversial decisions nobody had established superiority over the other, in fact, most thought Marquez had beaten Manny both times. So a fourth fight was needed to decide who was the better of the two and this time Marquez would leave no doubt knocking Pacquiao out cold in the sixth round of their fourth and probably the best fight. This was the punch heard around the world with pictures of Pacman laying face first on the canvas circling the internet.
Pacquiao also fought another Mexican great in Morales. In their first fight Manny lost a 12 round unanimous decision but Manny immediately accepted a rematch and this time he stopped Morales for the first time in his career losing to the Filipino sensation by way of 10 round knockout. So Pacquiao has tasted defeat before but he has recovered and now appears to be a smarter fighter rather than the reckless punching machine that he was. Floyd Mayweather comes from a boxing bloodline.
His father and his uncle were both professional fighters back in the 80’s. His father Floyd Mayweather had a decent although not spectacular career, his claim to fame was fighting Sugar Ray Leonard and dropping Leonard in the fight although it was ruled a slip. His uncle Roger had a more successful career becoming a two-time world champion and fighting the great Julio Cesar Chavez twice but losing both times, although Chavez admits that in the first fight he was hurt badly by Mayweather and for a few seconds he didn’t where he was at, and that’s why Chavez changed his strategy and took him out early.
So little Floyd grew up around boxing all his life and at a very young age showed signs that he was born gifted. He had a successful amateur career having won the National Golden Gloves several times and a Bronze Medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. Mayweather turned pro in October 1996 and has remained undefeated with a professional record of 47-0 26 KO’s. He has won a total of 10 championships in five different weight classes from super featherweight to junior middleweight.
Some of his most memorable fights include victories against the late Genaro “Chicanito” Hernandez, Carlos Baldomir, Ricky Hatton, Zab Judah, Diego Corrales, Jose Luis Castillo (twice), Oscar de la Hoya, Juan Manuel Marquez, Sugar Shane Mosley, Miguel Cotto, Robert “the Ghost” Guerrero, Victor Ortiz, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and Marcos Maidana (twice). Floyd has totally outclassed his opponents, but his victories against Castillo (both fights), De La Hoya, Cotto, and Maidana (first fight) have been the most competitive having won close decisions but in particular his first fight with Castillo was very controversial as many ringsiders thought Castillo deserved the decision.
Mayweather being the true champion that he is offered Castillo a rematch and this time he erased all doubt winning a close but unanimous decision. His fight with Oscar de la Hoya was the fight that catapulted Mayweather from star to superstar, it is the highest grossing fight in history with 2.4 million people buying the pay per view (myself included) since then Floyd has carried the sport on his shoulders.
He also has the richest fight in history with his fight with Canelo Alvarez. Mayweather has remained the best for 19 years. He has remained undefeated fighting and defeating future Hall of Famers. Pacquiao and Mayweather two different lives, two different records, two different styles. One is a brilliant artist in the ring, a defensive master; the other is a fearless freight train. One is undefeated the other one knocks people out. May 2, 2015 their worlds will collide.
