TOP Rank Promotion head Bob Arum believes that Manny Pacquiao (57-5-2 win-loss-draw record with 38 knockouts) would knock out undefeated American Floyd Mayweather Jr. (47-0 record with 26 knockouts) between six to eight rounds of their mega bout on May 2 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.
?Between six to eight rounds, Mayweather will be knocked out by Pacquiao,? Arum told The Manila Times in a telephone interview on Monday. ?I truly believe that Pacquiao will devastate Floyd on May 2 and that?s for sure.?
Mayweather, who turns 38 today, has already signed the contract for the much-awaited fight on Friday (Saturday morning in Manila). He holds the World Boxing Council and World Boxing Association welterweight belts while Pacquiao is the current World Boxing Organization welterweight champion.
?It will be a classic and exciting fight. I?m very confident of Manny?s determination. He really wanted this fight a long, long time ago and now it is going to happen,? Arum added. ?Pacquiao is preparing so hard right now to be in good fighting condition.?
Pacquiao had already started light training two weeks ago in General Santos under assistant trainer and dietician Nonoy Neri even before Mayweather made an announcement that the fight is on via social media.
Pacquiao and his team are scheduled to leave the country for Los Angeles, California on March 8 or 9. Pacman will remain in the United States until and after the May 2 fight.
Meanwhile, Mayweather?s father and trainer Floyd Sr. said that he is certain that his son would beat Pacquiao.
?This is going to be a one-sided deal, man,? Floyd Sr. told reporter Ben Thompson of fighthype.com. ?Pacman gets his ass whooped, simple! I?m just telling you what it is.?
?Everybody all hyped and geeked, they will see how easy this fight is going to be,? he added. ?I?m just telling you right now and I?m saying this right now, ain?t no way he can whoop Floyd. That?s that. He can forget it. He can bite the bone because that?s what he?s going to do; hit the ground.?
Mayweather is assured to get at least $120 million while Pacquiao will receive a minimum of $80 million based on their 60-40 fight purse deal. Among boxing aficionados, Pacquiao is now an underdog 1 ? 2 + against Mayweather.
But Pacquiao?s archrival Juan Manuel Marquez and his trainer Nacho Beristain are placing their bets on the Filipino ring icon.
?It?s a very dangerous fight [for Mayweather], because he has not faced any opponent with the speed or aggression of Pacquiao, and in this case also with power. Mayweather has not faced an opponent with these characteristics,? Marquez told El Golpe news.
?Pacquiao will definitely win. Pacquiao is just too tough and too strong. Pressure and a lot of punches just beats Floyd up,? the 72-year-old Beristain told Mark Malinowski of Ring Observer. ?He just works too hard. His training is too hard. He works very hard.?
