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No consensus on winner By Joaquin Henson PhilBoxing.com Wed, 29 Apr 2015  Despite the 2-to-1 odds favoring Floyd Mayweather, Jr. over Manny Pacquiao in their Battle For Greatness, there is no clear consensus among boxing experts as to who will win in Las Vegas this weekend. It?s virtually a toss-up as Pacquiao is expected to bombard Mayweather from every conceivable angle but the question is will he be able to land consistently against the most defensively-skilled fighter in the business today? No question, Mayweather has a high boxing IQ but nobody doubts who has the bigger heart. Pacquiao fights for legacy, his country and the righteous while Mayweather does it strictly to make money, lots of money. Apparently, Mayweather has no concern for values, sportsmanship or civility. It?s what makes Mayweather a bad ass, a frightening proposition in the ring because he does what it takes to win, never mind what?s ethical. The Ring Magazine predicted Mayweather to win by a close decision, ?perhaps split or controversial.? Here?s what the Bible of Boxing said: ?Mayweather will beat Pacquiao to the jab and score with clean right hands in the early rounds of the bout. However, once the Filipino hero warms up in the middle rounds, his quick southpaw combinations will back the undefeated American to the ropes where the odds favorite might experience a wobbly moment or two. The two stars will go tit for tat in the late rounds before Mayweather figures out how to contain Pacquiao with jab-and-grab tactics down the stretch of an entertaining, though not thrilling, championship bout.? The USA Boxing News, a Florida trade paper that was established in 1989, said Pacquiao will win by knockout. Publisher John Rinaldi and editor Alex Rinaldi said the Fight of the Century could go down in history as one of the greatest bouts ever in the mold of Sugar Ray Leonard-Roberto Duran I and Muhammad Ali-Joe Frazier I. ?The whole outcome of the fight rests on the non-stop aggression of the slugger, in this case Pacquiao, to keep the pressure on the boxer who on his part, is forced to trade punches with his advancing foe,? wrote the Rinaldis in their column ?Viewpoint? in the May 2015 issue of the USA Boxing News. ?What Pacquiao has in advantage is great stamina and a southpaw style. Mayweather, though, is crafty and a master of avoiding hard blows while Pacquiao throws punches from all angels with power behind every one of them. This is a tough fight to call but call we must. Look for a Pacquiao win by knockout.? The USA Boxing News writer Joseph Catena affirmed the publication?s position. ?It is almost inconceivable that Pacquiao will not land a clean blow to the chin,? he said. ?The guess is that when that happens, Mayweather won?t be able to withstand it. The bout should have an ebb and flow about it with Mayweather showcasing his speed and supreme boxing skills while Pacquiao comes in blazing with a whirlwind assault. Pacquiao will catch Mayweather at some point and score a technical knockout win by the eighth round.? Boxing News of London writer Matt Christie was guarded in his forecast and cautiously said, ?Mayweather to win on points is the likeliest conclusion to reach at this stage.? He didn?t discount the possibility of Pacquiao scoring an upset, agreeing with oddsmakers as to who is the underdog. ?Mayweather is unbeaten in 47 fights, is a defensive wizard who throws rapid, angled punches and he?s one of the most gifted fighters of all time,? said Christie. ?His rival is no longer the maniacal predator of a few years ago when he was beating up all comers and 2012 losses to Timothy Bradley, albeit controversial and since avenged, and Juan Manuel Marquez appeared to confirm a decline. ?However, writing off Pacquiao is foolish. He may not have scored a stoppage win since 2009 but the Filipino brings underrated boxing skills, astonishingly quick hands and arguably, a better understanding of his limitations than Mayweather. Those aforementioned reverses have created a new fighter: one who takes fewer chances but one who attacks spitefully and intelligently. But let?s not call the upset just yet. Some believers point to Pacquiao?s southpaw stance but while Floyd had some issues with Zab Judah and DeMarcus Corley, his most recent outings against lefties Victor Ortiz and Robert Guerrero were effortless triumphs.? Corley, a southpaw whom Mayweather contracted as a sparmate to prepare for Pacquiao, said adjustments will be critical in the fight. ?Pacquiao will have his moments and land some great punches but once Floyd makes his adjustments, he won?t be able to land those shots anymore,? he said. ?That?s why Pacquiao can?t win. It?s a fight that the world has been waiting seven to eight years to see. Does Pacquiao still have it? Can Floyd do what people doubt he can----beat Manny easily?? Former world flyweight, bantamweight, superbantamweight and featherweight champion Nonito Donaire, Jr. said it?s a 50-50 situation but ?I think it?s very possible for Manny to be victorious against Floyd.? He said the outcome will depend on which fighter is able to assert himself, style-wise. ?You?re looking at Manny, the best offensive fighter out there with speed, power, angles, no rhythm and how he overwhelms people and you?ve got Mayweather who will look at your weaknesses and figure you out as time goes by. Of course, he has his defensive ability. Manny is my friend but I?d say it?s 50-50. These guys are the best at what they do. You can?t know what will happen. It could be a one-sided fight for all we know or Manny could take him out. The fight with Ricky Hatton and Manny, I thought it would be really close, 50-50 and Manny just landed one punch and it was done.? Click here to view a list of other articles written by Joaquin Henson.  |
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