How do you beat Floyd Mayweather Jr? It is the question that few boxers have come close to answering and it?s a riddle that no fighters today seems close to solving. The current pound for pound king is currently 45-0 and most recently was seen climbing up one weight class to beat formally undefeated, Saul ?Canelo? Alvarez. Since that fight, many people have had theories on how to beat Mayweather.
On recent editions of ?On The Ropes? radio, former boxing stars Ray Mercer and Ricky Hatton, both known for their aggression in the ring feel that the right mix of both aggression and pressure can dethrone the best boxer in the world today.
Former Olympic gold medalist and heavyweight champion, Ray Mercer said ?I?d attack him, I?d bum rush him, I would fight him and keep him on the ropes. I would just make him fight a fight that he ain?t used to fighting.?
Ricky Hatton, a former opponent of Mayweather?s also feels that you need to maintain constant pressure onMayweather in order to be successful, Ricky pointed to his fight and stated ?people who put the pressure on him like I did, it was working.? The issue is, you need a special fighter carry out that strategy, a fighter who has the speed and conditioning to go at Mayweather from opening bell. We?ve seen fighters like Robert Guerrero attempt a straight forward attack but have zero success.
There is one fighter that has the ability to do this, and that fighter is none other than Manny ?Pacman? Pacquiao. The former 8 time world champion is coming off a tough loss to Juan Manuel Marquez, and for months the possibility of him ever meeting Mayweather in the ring seemed dim. Pacquiao has proven to be a real champion and he has bounced back from setbacks before, all signs point to him bouncing back and returning with even more intensity.
If he does meet Mayweather in the ring, I believe he will give Floyd the toughest fight of his career. The speed and power of Pacquiao, along with his southpaw style have been too much for a lot of boxers out there, besides Juan Manuel Marquez, every fighter that has met Pacquiao in the ring has been either outworked, outclassed, or knocked out. The southpaw style has given Mayweather issues in the past, as he was losing the early rounds again Zab Judah until Judah’s poor stamina and temper got the best of him.
If Mayweather and Pacquiao do have their long awaited match up against each other, I believe that Manny Pacquiaocan not only compete with Floyd, but has the ability to be the first man to defeat him. Pacquiao?s attributes will giveMayweather issues and cause him to be more defensive minded and also cause him to tire. The relentless pressure of a man with the speed and quickness of Pacquiao will wear on Mayweather and either cause him to lose a fair amount of the late rounds or even cause a scenario in which he actually folds down the stretch.
Manny Pacquiao has work in front of him on the 26th of November, but if he gets past Brandon Rios as many expect him to and with Floyd Mayweather Sr. recently stating on “On The Ropes” that he would be open to making a fight with Pacquiao, then this fight that was nothing more than a fantasy of boxing fans, could become a reality, and if it does, don’t be surprised if Manny Pacquiao becomes the first man to defeat the greatest boxer of our time. Styles make fights and Pacquiao has the right style to beat Mayweather.
