Floyd Mayweather is a genius in the world of professional boxing. Love him or hate him, he is the best at what he does and has proven himself to be virtually undecipherable throughout a nineteen year professional career. But that stretch of dominance could very well end when he meets Manny Pacquiao in the ring on May 2 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Pacquiao, by the strictest definition of the term, is not a genius in the ring?at least not in the same way Mayweather is recognized. He is, however, no less great than Floyd when it comes to high-end, elite-level boxing.
Rather, Pacquiao?s greatness is in his character, which carries over to the ring as grit, perseverance, and the extreme confidence of a true warrior. Another great asset of Pacquiao?s is his awkward, unorthodox style. If you combine both mental and stylistic assets, we start to understand why the Filipino icon has been so hard to beat over the years and absolutely impossible to keep down for long.
And it?s these assets that make Pacquiao the perfect fighter capable of giving Mayweather his first loss.
Frankly put, what Mayweather does extremely well will be virtually useless against Pacquiao.
[WWE Legend Jim Ross Picks Floyd-Manny Winner, Shares Mayweather Wrestlemania Story]
Mayweather’s famous style turns traditional boxing geometry into a mess of missed shots and uncomfortable angles. Traditional fighters with standard styles struggle against a fighter like Mayweather, who is working at odd rhythms and, seemingly, always off to the side of where he should be. As the fight goes on and the opponent becomes desperate, Mayweather then steps in to counter with pinpoint accuracy. This is standard procedure for all of Mayweather’s fights– until now.
Pacquiao is just as awkward and off-putting as Mayweather. He also fights at odd angles and rhythms, throwing opponents off their timing with frenetic energy generated from difficult-to-predict movement. It?s hard to imagine Mayweather landing with much of note unless he actively pursues Pacquiao (or unless Pacquiao runs into something ala Marquez KO).
So, this gives us two awkward, off-putting fighters squaring up on May 2 with the big and possibly deciding difference being that Pacquiao will be letting his hands go, likely getting credit for his effort on the judges? scorecards. At some point, if Manny can stay busy enough to keep the fight even through six, Mayweather will have to drop the caution and take the fight to Pacquiao or risk a most embarrassing defeat. Maybe he won?t take that risk and remain cautious until the very end, hoping for a scoring miracle. Either way?fight or flight?he could very well come up short.
It may not be a pretty bout on May 2, but there is a good chance that Manny Pacquiao has the perfect style and temperament to beat Mayweather. Manny may not be a ?genius,? but he has the edge in both heart and soul.
What?s your nuts and bolts prediction for Mayweather-Pacquiao? Leave your comments below and please share this article with friends.
