Manny Pacquiao Vs Floyd Mayweather, JR : Why This Fight Is Still Relevant

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By Ian Murphy

The Floyd Mayweather, JR. Vs Manny Pacquiao saga has seen more twists and turns than Sugar Ray Leonard has had comebacks. Drug test drama. Rumors of Mayweather being more concerned with his “0” than fighting the best of his era. Inopportune losses to supposedly inferior opponents. Convenient “retirements”. The list goes on. Back in September of 2009, following victories over contender Ricky Hatton and Puerto Rican banger Miguel Cotto, Pacquiao was riding tremendous momentum into his prime years as a fighter. Mayweather had just come out of retirement to best PacMan nemesis Juan Manuel Marquez. At this point in time, a match between the Filipino Fireball and the Money Man was seen as the culmination of the two best pound for pound boxers in the world going at it for the right to be labeled as an all time great in an era bereft of them. Fast forward to 2015 and there are again big-time rumors flying about that the fight will occur this coming May 2. The big question now, if this fight can even be made, is: how is this fight still relevant?

One reason Mayweather Vs Pacquiao still matters because despite both being seen as somewhat past their best, both are still at or near the top. Mayweather is both the recognized champion at 147 and 154lbs, no small feat. Pacquiao himself has a belt at 147 (WBO) and has run up a win streak against solid competition like Brandon Rios, Timothy Bradley, and Chris Algieri, so this fight is not some nostalgic mismatch between shot fighters. Yes, both are on the wrong side of 35, and are clearly not the fighters they were back in 2009, but each have something to bring to the table historically as the best of their eras.

Many pundits and fans alike thought that Joe Frazier was done when he signed to fight reigning Heavyweight Champion Muhammad Ali in October 1975. Boy were they wrong. Frazier took the champion to the absolute limit in that match and it has gone on to be considered by many as one of the greatest fights in boxing history. Can Pacquiao and Mayweather make that happen? I believe they can. Floyd Mayweather, for all his gifts and talent, has really never been taken into deep waters. Yes, he had a few scares here and there earlier in his career, like when Shane Mosley rung his bell in 2010 or when a rusty inactive Oscar De La Hoya gave him a hard 12 round bout in 2007, but for the most part, Mayweather has consistently outclassed his opponents.

It is Pacquiao’s skill set and temperament which make this fight still intriguing. Unlike the vast majority of Mayweather’s opponents over the past five years, Pacquiao has SPEED, and lots of it. He is not a crude, yet tough pressure fighter like Marcos Maidana. He is not a talented, but slow on his feet Canelo Alvarez. Manny has the stamina, speed, and finishing ability to take away Mayweather’s biggest advantages: his whippet speed and elusive defense. Maidana showed some inkling of a solid game plan vs Mayweather in their first fight back in May of last year by coming in great shape and relentlessly pressuring Floyd. The problem there was that Maidana didn’t know what to do with Mayweather once his movement was temporarily negated, especially when cornered or on the ropes. His attack was predictable, and Floyd being the great fighter he is, adapted and won the fight. Their second fight was not as close. Pacquiao is very good at staying on top of his opponent and throwing unorthodox punches while backing his man up. Another key factor is that Pacquiao has a fantastic trainer in Freddie Roach, whose boxing pedigree goes back to all time great trainers Eddie Futch and Yank Durham.

This is what will make this fight electric and it brings up a number of questions as to how the fight will pan out: Will Mayweather be able to pot shot his way to victory against a man he does not have a massive speed advantage against? Will Pacquiao be able to close the distance and keep Mayweather immobilized long enough to do damage to the body and slow him down? Who wants it more? Will Floyd be so afraid of losing his undefeated record that he refuses to engage and run his way to victory?

In closing, perhaps the greatest reason that this fight is relevant and needs to happen is it could show that Floyd Mayweather, JR. is beatable and put to rest his incessant yammering about how he is the best ever. Why else would he skirt around this match up for the better part of six years? There is so much false imagery in reference to Mayweather’s “genius” that many fans (and pundits) get caught up in the mania of “TBE”. If Floyd wins and wins decisively, his self-promotion and trash talk will be firmly backed up. A fight with Manny Pacquiao, no matter how late in their careers, (but especially now, since both have been relatively active over the past year, and have been winning in dominant fashion) could allow the truth to come out. Pacquiao is just that man to test him and see if he truly belongs in the discussion as an all time great, as opposed to a pugilistic swill merchant who is more salesman than champion…

*My prediction is: Pacquiao W12 via SD….