Floyd Mayweather Jr. has basically owned the boxing world, winning all 47 of his professional fights. But Manny Pacquiao has stolen the hearts of many with his unrelenting style, not to mention insane knockout power. Finally, these two will meet on May 2 after years and years of speculation and anticipation.
We’ve already provided an in-depth analysis of how the two stack up with our preview of the bout here. But before the two superstars of the sport finally step inside the ring, let’s take a look at five potential keys that could very well determine the outcome of this fight.
[sc:MultiSportArticles ]Mayweather vs. Pacquiao Preview – Five Keys to the Fight
Where: MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, NV
When: Saturday, May 2, 11:55 PM ET
Line: Floyd Mayweather Jr. (-200) vs. Manny Pacquiao (+160); total 11.5 – view all Boxing lines
Who Can Establish Footwork First?
Floyd Mayweather Jr. is a genius in the sweet science. Manny Pacquiao is an offensive juggernaught. Combine the two, and you have the pieces for the fight of the millennium. Mayweather and Pacquiao each have their own keys to victory, but the fight may very well boil down to who can establish his footwork first.
[sc:Other240banner ]Mayweather is an expert at fighting off the back foot, utilizing slick counters and angles. Pacquiao excels at the opposite, relying on high-pressure offense to load up on punches in bunches, which makes them a perfect match for one another.
The key for each fighter is establishing the front foot outside of the opposing fighter’s stance. Doing so should give a clear path down the middle for Mayweather’s right straight or Pacquiao’s left. This fight for foot positioning should put both boxers in extended dance-like battles, which would favor Mayweather in the long run.
Ultimately, Mayweather seems to own the edge in footwork. He’s more fluid and controlled with his foot movement. He can cut corners to find angles and land quick pot shots before moving out of range, whereas Pacquiao seems to always move in a straight line forward or back.
Mayweather’s Perceived Weakness to Southpaws
Zab Judah, a southpaw, was one of Mayweather’s toughest tests earlier in his career. Judah happens to be one of Mayweather’s primary sparring partners while training for the upcoming Pacquiao match. But if rumors are to be believed, then not everything went as planned after Mayweather was knocked out sparring against his left-handed dance partner. In his prime, Judah possessed hand speed comparable to Pacquiao, a bad omen for Money May.
It’s also worth mentioning that Mayweather’s defense doesn’t quite translate well enough against southpaws. Planting his feet for his trademark shoulder rolls should open up the middle for a straight left, while a check left hook could leave Money’s legs tangled with Pacquiao’s.
But Mayweather does have a beautiful lead right, one which happens to be every southpaw’s bane.
Is Pacquiao’s Chin Cracked?
That Mayweather lead right hand could realistically end this fight early, much like Pacquiao’s devastating knockout loss to Juan Manuel Marquez back in 2012. A blow like that could take years off a fighter’s career. In contrast, Mayweather has never even been knocked down in his entire career.
While Mayweather doesn’t own the type of knockout power that Marquez has, he is still a very slick counter puncher. He’ll only need to use his opponent’s momentum to land a crippling counter for a possible knockdown. Pacquiao was wobbled most recently in his second fight against Timothy Bradley in 2014. Bradley is known as quite a pillow-fisted fighter, which doesn’t bode too well against Pacman.
After his rematch against Marcos Maidana in September 2014, Mayweather has now connected on at least 50 percent of his power punches in each of his last four fights. Expect Mayweather to wobble Pacquiao in a couple of exchanges in this fight.
But of course, Pacquiao could also knock Mayweather senseless with an opportune punch. The fight to go under 11.5 rounds offers plenty of value at +240.
Mayweather’s Decline in Speed
If you’ve followed Mayweather’s career thus far, it’s easy to see that he’s not as fast as he used to be. He was hit the most (221 punches) in his first fight against Maidana in May 2014. But don’t count out Mayweather just yet. He’s a boxing genius, who’s altered his game aplenty to keep up with younger and faster opponents.
A master tactician, Mayweather outlanded Maidana 132-95 in the decisive second half of their first match. That is after he found the holes in Maidana’s game in-fight. Expect Mayweather to start slow against the furious pace of Pacquiao. But he should start to show his class midway through the sixth round onward, while Pacquiao may end up slowing down.
Pacquiao’s Power
Of course we can’t go on without mentioning Pacquiao’s renowned one-punch knockout power. Pacman’s sleep-inducing left hand is a game changer which could make or break this fight. Pacquiao also isn’t the brawler (who’d miss more than he’d hit) that he used to be. Since teaming up with Freddie Roach, he has turned into a sound and technical boxer capable of finding his target.
Pacquiao’s boxing clinic in his last fight against heralded prospect Chris Algieri was spectacular as he melded his speed, power and technicality into a devastating all-around game. Considering Mayweather’s decline in speed, Pacman may see one of his thunderous lefts slipping through the undefeated fighter’s guard.
But Pacquiao’s power may be for naught if he can’t find his openings. While he may already be a technical boxer, he still over-relies on combinations to the head. Rarely do we see Pacquiao let rip to the body, which may have him struggling to land against Mayweather’s excellent head movement.
Mayweather and Pacquiao are tailor made for each other, which should make for a damn good fight. Don’t miss out on the biggest fight of all time. Create a betting account now and choose your side.
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