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MANNY PACQUIAO AND FLOYD Mayweather Jr. will square off in the biggest boxing match of the decade on Saturday night/ Sunday morning.
Mayweather, despite being two years older than Pacquaio, at 38, enters the fight as the odds-on favourite to win.
In a profile by Sports Illustrated’s Greg Bishop, Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach described how Pacquiao can pull off an upset.
Mayweather is widely regarded as one of the best defensive fighters ever. Roach says that while most boxers hate to be backed into the ropes, Mayweather uses it to his advantage. He purposely falls back, waiting for his opponents to follow him, where Mayweather can then set up a counterattack. Roach says Pacquaio can exploit this:
“If you jab or feint him, and he steps back, you have a huge advantage to score. But you have to score, and you have to get out really quickly. Mayweather will throw back. But he won’t counter until you stop.
“Some fighters will just keep throwing at him. My fighter shouldn’t. In and out. Clean combinations.”
Roach also thinks that Pacquiao’s left-handedness could be a strategic advantage over Mayweather.
Mayweather’s signature shoulder roll, where he guards his body with his left arm, deflects punches with his left shoulder, and counters with his right hand, can be exploited by a southpaw like Pacquaio, Roach says.
Bishop writes: ‘Because a southpaw, if he gets close enough, can tag Mayweather in that left shoulder with a straight left, or a series of them. The angle is better. Theoretically, anyway.
“He’s rolling right into a southpaw’s power,” Roach says. “That’s a huge advantage for us.”
Roach, who trained Oscar De La Hoya for his match against Mayweather (which De La Hoya lost), says De La Hoya didn’t move to Mayweather’s left like he should have, instead getting baited to follow Mayweather straight back. He wants Pacquiao to move more side to side, specifically to Mayweather’s left, on Saturday.
De La Hoya echoed a similar notion about Pacquiao’s left-handedness to Wall Street Journal’s Gordon Marino:
“Mayweather has never fought a lefty who moves in and out, side to side like Pacquiao,” De La Hoya said. “Pacquiao’s footwork is the key. Also, he has to make Mayweather open up and engage, then punch when Mayweather is punching.”
De La Hoya recommends jabbing over Mayweather’s defensive guard. “And bring that great left of his down the middle.”
The boxing world seems to be in agreement about how Pacquaio can beat Mayweather. Doing it is another story.
–Scott Davis
I think Manny will be trying and will need to KO Floyd inside 6 to win this fight. Perfectly possible. But unlikely. I see the fight being 3 rounds each that stage, but I think Mayweather will start t find and land those hefty lead right hands he has. I think as Manny begins to become a little more erratic and tired, this fight will be stopped in around 8,9 or 10.
It’ll be a superb fight and live up to the billing, but Mayweather should have too many answers and I feel Pacquaio will bring out the very best in him.
Mayweather stoppage is a big enough price at 7/1.
Floyd hasn’t KO’d someone since 2009 and that was the Ortiz sucker punch – 2007 his last one before that. So that’s two stoppages in the last 8 years. Manny 2009 so I’m not thinking this one will be stopped. It has points win written all over it. I just see Floyd being a bit too elusive. Manny has a great engine so I don’t see him getting tired. He’ll get frustrated but Floyd will figure him out after a few rounds and elude his way to victory. Hope Manny wins though.
Points win is the obvious conclusion to come to and I’m after a bit of value. 7/1 is tempting for me bud.
Both fighters are training differently for this fight – it’s means more. Mayweather in particular is looking like he’s doing a lot of heavy punch work in camp and he’s sparring with a lot of heavy southpaws. I just get a feeling Mayweather won’t want this to be a 12 round slug. He wants that 50-0. I think his game plan will be to stay in the game for the first six rounds and then really up the ante 8-9-10 and look for some heavy punches. He has them in the locker.
I could be wrong – I often am! But hey, one has to take a view and that’s mine :)