One of the things that Floyd Mayweather does well when he fights is making adjustments. When he fought Zab Judah, he actually lost 4 rounds early in the fight, but in typical Floyd fashion, he made his adjustment by round 5 and it was down hill from there. Floyd is a genius in the ring. He figures out what he needs to do, he makes the adjustment. The results speak clearly. When Floyd fought Mosley, he was injured badly early in the fight. Shane landed a brutal right hand that shook Floyd to the core. Floyd survived the round, and then once again, he made his adjustment, and in doing so, he made a future Hall of Fame fighter look average for the rest of the fight.
Manny Pacquiao fights a similar style in each of his fights. You pretty much know what you’re going to get when you go up against him. His blazing speed mixed in with knockout power, and high punch output creates issues for most that he faces. When Pacquiao fights Floyd Mayweather, I’m interested to see what happens AFTER the 5th round. If Pacquiao has success early in the fight, the big question then becomes, will Floyd make his usual adjustment? The BIGGER question then becomes, WILL Manny counter that adjustment and have a surprise adjustment in place? I think he needs to. Floyd has a history of adjusting and then going on to win. Pacquiao must not let this happen. Freddie Roach will need to have something up his sleeve in order to counter Floyd’s counter.
The script should go a little something like this if Manny is to win this fight. Pacquiao comes out and looks good early on. Floyd then makes his usual adjustments, and takes control of the next rounds. Pacquiao counters Floyd’s adjustments, and re takes control of the fight. If Manny let’s Floyd steal rounds it will be difficult for him to win a decision.
I recently spoke with Showtime Boxing’s Al Bernstein. He said, “If Manny throws more than 800 punches in this fight, he should win it. If he throws less than 800 punches in this fight, he will probably lose it.” This makes sense. The more Manny throws, the less Floyd will. Manny has the speed, and the work ethic in the ring to trip up Floyd Mayweather. He can break Floyd down, but only if he makes the necessary adjustments. Floyd’s going to make his adjustments, you can guarantee that.
This is a fascinating fight. Yes, it probably should have happened 4 or 5 years ago, but it’s still a great fight. Floyd’s defense, and timing, and ring savvy, Vs. Manny’s speed, power, and heart. If the Manny Pacquiao that fought those wars against Erik Morales and Barrera shows up, look out.
