Travis Thomas: 3 Reasons Manny Pacquiao Will Beat Floyd Mayweather
Styles Make Fights
It's inarguable that Pacquiao's best chance lies in his ability to outwork a fighter who's frequently forced opponents into an offensive shell with a penchant for precision counterpunching. During the press conference earlier this month in L.A., Pacquiao said of Mayweather "If it's defense he will be relying on when we face each other, I can say this early that I'm ready to meet him in that department, by planning on how to break [Mayweather's] defense, we, at the same time, have learned how attack him and score." Many boxing observers and pundits suggest that Manny is a better overall boxer now than he was in his prime. I don't buy it, especially when it comes to comparing Mayweather's overall boxing ability. If Manny truly wins this fight it's because he went back to the straight ahead, whirlwind style of fighting that made him successful. Everyone that has that pressure approach against Mayweather and kept on coming at him, Maidana for example who was the most recent has seen some minimal success. Don't try to out smart him, just try to hit him as much as you can and from as many angles as possible, and shoot that devastating left hand often. Also, look for Trainer Freddie Roach to incorporate the lead right hook into Manny's arsenal. Mayweather's shoulder-roll style of defense can be penetrated by straight right hands, since Pacquiao is a southpaw; I believe Roach will emphasize the lead right hook in training camp to serve the same purpose.
Boxing Aficionados & Vegas
Experts and fellow fighters from the sport including Teddy Atlas, Deontay Wilder, Erik Morales, Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson have all picked Pacquiao due to his style of fighting. They believe Pacquiao's busy offense will penetrate Mayweather's steadfast defense. I'm sure there will be many more experts picking Pac Man closer to the bout as well, and they won't be the only ones. A flurry of early action on Pacquiao has already narrowed the odds for the big fight on legal sports books in Vegas. By the time they get into the ring May 2, it's conceivable that Mayweather might not be favored at all. Many in the betting industry are predicting legal wagering of at least $50 million on the bout. That's not even mentioning the number of different prop bets and the fact tens of thousands of college basketball fans can bet while in Vegas for ongoing NCAA Basketball Tournament. The fight itself will cap a huge day in sports that includes the Kentucky Derby and playoffs in the NBA and NHL, along with a full slate of MLB games. I would assume that May 2nd will be as close to the revenue the Super Bowl brings in as any sporting event ever. Many reports suggest this fight will generate upwards of $300 million total.
Pacquiao In Mayweathers Head?
At The press conference for the fight earlier this month it was the camp of Manny Pacquiao, not Floyd Mayweather Jr. that came out firing verbal jabs. I watched in utter shock as Mayweather stayed subdued while Pacuquiao and his camp let the insults fly. Pacquiao, usually quiet and reserved in interviews, said that the Money May would lose in a fight with female MMA star Ronda Rousey. Pacquiao's trainer, Freddie Roach, claimed that Mayweather's legs, at age 38, were shot and that he has slowed significantly in recent years. Pacquiao himself said he was less concerned about this matchup than he had been before facing Miguel Cotto, Antonio Margarito or Oscar De La Hoya, all fights he won easily. The troubling part to me is that this is usually Mayweather's time to taunt and get into the heads of his opponents. Mayweather prides himself on beating fighters mentally long before they step into the ring. He's done it his whole career, but since becoming a household name his latest victims have been Oscar De La Hoya, Robert Guerrero, Ricky Hatton, Victor Ortiz, Shane Mosely and Canelo Alvarez. Interestingly enough, it's been Manny Pacquiao, not Floyd Mayweather trash talking on every press junket and even social media. Floyd has gone as far as to hire Manny's old strength and conditioning coach Alex Ariza. Reports out of Floyd's camp suggest that the fighter is doing much more power training than usual; Mayweather even posted an Instagram Video of himself chopping wood. All of these things seem out of character for the fleet-of-foot Floyd Mayweather. It begs the question, if Floyd is being quiet and training differently, is Manny in his head?
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