While the fight that every boxing fan wants to see is yet to be officially announced, Manny Pacquiao’s longtime foe Juan Manuel Marquez has already made his assessment that Mayweather will win over Pacquiao on points.
Marquez has fought Pacquiao four times in the past 10 years and he must have gained enough knowledge about Pacquiao’s skill and fighting style. Marquez also fought Mayweather once and lost on points. The Mexican counter puncher speaks of his experience in the ring with both Mayweather and Pacquiao and he speaks with authority on the issue as Miguel Rivera wrote on Boxing Scene about Marquez’s early assessment of the potential fight. ?For me, Mayweather would win. He is not a puncher, but he is an artist in the ring. He is the best in terms of defense and he?s very quick with counter-punches and that?s what hurts Pacquiao. He handles timing very well and it is an important factor and a very harmful weapon against Pacquiao,? Marquez told ESPN Deportes. ?Mayweather won?t win by knockout, but on points. We know that defensively Mayweather is the best in the world and he is considered the best pound for pound as well,? he added. Marquez may be right with his firsthand assessment but he may have forgotten that he fought Mayweather five years ago after agreeing to Mayweather’s offer to pay an $600,000 penalty for Mayweather’s excess weight of two pounds prior to the weigh in. Mayweather may have put one over him as he was able to retain a comfortable fighting weight while Marquez struggled with his own at 142 pounds. The agreed catchweight was at 144 and Mayweather came in at 146. This scenario may be absent in the proposed Mayweather-Pacquiao fight as the catchweight for the fight is yet to be discussed by the parties. Also, Mayweather was a different fighter five years ago as he was in his prime then. Wear and tear seem to have taken its toll on Mayweather’s body and now he appears to be slowing down as seen on his less impressive performance over Marcos Maidana in two of their recent fights. On the other hand Pacquiao has shown progressive changes in his last three fights since losing to Marquez in 2012. Manny Pacquiao (R) and his coach Freddie Roach take part in a media workout at the Wild Card Boxing … Manny Pacquiao (R) and his coach Freddie Roach take part in a media workout at the Wild Card Boxing Club on April 02, 2014 in Hollywood, California Joe Klamar, AFP Like this image Pacquiao was most impressive against Chris Algieri when he knocked down the unbeaten American at least six times in their 12-round fight to win via a convincing unanimous decision. As Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach said, Mayweather may no longer be the same elite fighter that he was known during his prime. “I think Mayweather is shot, his legs are gone and Manny will knock him out. If he wants to get knocked out, sign the contract. He says he’s sitting down [and not moving as often] to please the crowd. He don’t care about pleasing no crowd, I don’t think. He just can’t move no more. His legs are shot. He’s done,” said Roach in a report by Boxingscene. Pacquiao will be out to test Mayweather’s style and skill in the ring but the unbeaten champ should first make up his mind whether to face Pacquiao in the ring for his legacy or forget about a ring date with Pacquiao to preserve his unbeaten career record.
