We now are less than three weeks away from the much-anticipated Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao bout on May 2 in Las Vegas, which means less than three weeks left to ask everyone involved in the sport what they think will happen. Sugar Ray Leonard (Credit: AP)
?I would say I lean toward Mayweather because he hasn?t tasted defeat and he doesn?t want to taste defeat. And I look at Pacquiao and I see a guy, a champion, who is equipped with such speed and power and unfortunately he was KO’d big-time by [Juan Manuel] Marquez.
?Most fighters that get knocked out that way don?t come back the right way. But if there is anyone who can do it, it?s Pacquiao. All fighters have one big fight left in them. My last fight was Hagler. I had it. I came back and I still had everything.
?I don?t know if it?s going to show up or be present for either guy. If it?s present for one guy, that guy is going to dominate. If it comes from both of them, it?s going to be a hell of a fight.? Marv Albert (Credit: Getty Images / Harry How)
?I am the worst at predicting, but I think Pacquiao?s trainer, Freddie Roach, is attempting to get him all stirred up in terms of that?s how Pacquiao?s mentality is: ferocious. He?s pulling out all the stops to try to get him go into the ring mad, which doesn?t define who he is. But I think he has to. That?s the only way.
?Mayweather has a scientific way of fighting and he?s so slick. I hope it?s a good fight; at this stage of their careers everybody wants to see it. Five years ago it certainly would have been a better fight to watch. But I think that Pacquiao?s going to have a difficult time, even though I know Freddie wants him to go in there like, crazed.
?I really think that I give a slight edge to Mayweather on a decision.? Al Michaels (Credit: Getty Images)
?I would think Mayweather. I think Mayweather will figure out a way to win the fight. I think the most interesting thing about this fight to me is three years ago it would have been a better fight ? you have to think. Because each guy was three years younger, and I think pretty much in their prime.
?Where are they right now? Are they past their prime? Well, probably, to a certain extent. At the ages these guys are, they can?t be any better than they were three or four years ago. I think the most interesting aspect of this fight to me is what will the quality of the fight be like? It?s unbelievably hyped. It?s over-hyped. It?s going to get more gross revenue than any fight in the history of boxing by far. And yet, I?m curious to see how this plays out.
?Is this going to be Hagler-Hearns? I doubt it. Is it going to be one of the great welterweight/middleweight fights like Leonard and Duran and Hagler and Hearns going back and forth and all in that mix in the ’80s? I doubt it. But I?m really curious to see what happens here. Mayweather is not an exciting fighter. He?s a great fighter. Exciting personality, but as a fighter he?s not that exciting.
?I went to the Mayweather-De La Hoya fight and it was a snooze fest. Yeah, Pacquiao is exciting, but is he still going to be exciting now? To me, can this live up to the hype? I doubt it. Can it equal the hype? I think it?s going to be hard.?
