Judging or predicting the outcome of the proposed Mayweather-Pacquiao fight based on their past performance against common opponents won’t be a fair gauge of how they will perform when they finally face each other in the ring.
Boxing analysts have anchored their judgement on Mayweather and Pacquiao’s previous performance over common opponents in predicting the outcome of the fight. But depending on the timing of the fight, it may have no bearing on the result of the next fight. A case in point is the fight between Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto which happened in 2009 and the Mayweather-Cotto fight in 2012. With Cotto as the common opponent, Pacquiao was impressive against the durable Puerto Rican with a TKO win in the last round of the 12-round bout. Pacquiao was at his prime when he fought Cotto and there is no guaranty that he will show the same speed and power when he finally squares off with Mayweather. If he does, there is no doubt he will break Mayweather apart. In the same manner that Mayweather could have knocked out Cotto if their happened in 2009 when he was likewise at his prime. Clearly their performance against a common opponent has little bearing on the outcome of the Mayweather-Pacquiao bout as predicted. Mayweather will be three months past 38 when fight fans hope to see him with Pacquiao in the ring in May next year, the likely date when they are expected to clash while Pacquiao, who will celebrate his birthday on Dec. 17 will be turning 36. Fight fans know for sure that they won’t see the same firepower they have shown when they were both on their prime. It is interesting to know though that Pacquiao?despite his last two straight losses in 2012? had exhibited a reverse transition to his old fighting form when he gave unbeaten American Chris Algieri a boxing lesson last Nov. 22 in Macau, China.
While Pacquiao seems to have recovered his killer instinct in the ring as seen in the Algieri fight, Mayweather was a picture of a tired, worn out fighter when he fought Marcos Maidana twice this year. As Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach said, Mayweather has aged and is no longer the same fighter he was two or three years ago. ?Floyd can?t run like he used to. He can?t move, his legs are shot, he?s a washed up, old fighter. We?ll knock out Floyd,? Roach said. Seemingly, their latest fights will be a more accurate basis in predicting the outcome of the fight and not the fights that they have figured more than two years ago when they were on top their games.
