Mayweather Still Reigns as Pound-for-Pound Champ: Analysis
Welcome to the Wall Street Journal live blog of the Floyd Mayweather vs Manny Pacquiao welterweight championship fight. We are at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Though he does not have the most fight friendly boxing style, Mayweather (47-0, 26 knockouts) is the biggest box office attraction of all times. The Pacman (57-5-2, 38 knockouts) is not far beyond. So while this fight does not have the historical cache of Louis vs Schmeling or Ali vs Frazier I, it is sure to break all the Kaching benchmarks.
But who cares about the money? It is boxing history that will be decided tonight. As Freddie Roach, Pacquiao’s trainer observed, after tonight “only one of these guys will be remembered.” That, of course, is a bit of an exaggeration but it would be true to say that only one will become a boxing immortal – recognized as the best fighter of his era.
Virtually every expert has picked Mayweather. He is the naturally bigger man. He enjoys a 5-inch reach advantage. At 38 he is two years older than Manny but he does not have as many tough fights on his boxing odometer as Pacquiao.
While I certainly would not list Mayweather where he lists himself, namely, as the greatest fighter in history, Floyd is certainly one of the greatest defensive fighters of all time.
Mayweather’s boxing IQ is around 200. All of Mayweather’s boxing brethren, all of his opponents, will concur that there is no one better at making adjustments in white heat of battle than Floyd Mayweather.
During the first couple of rounds of every fight he seems like a computer taking in data. And before you know it, he has his man figured out.
Pacquiao is a southpaw while Mayweather is an orthodox fighter. The only other fast lefty that Mayweather has ever faced was Zab Judah. Judah was getting the best of Mayweather for the first few stanzas, then Mayweather solved the riddle and took over the contest.
Speed-wise Mayweather and Pacquiao are evenly matched but Mayweather has the best pivot move in the business – which means he can have an opponent on top of him, spin out like a basketball guard, switch positions and pound away.
Since we are going down Mayweather’s long list of boxing blessings, let’s not forget that Floyd’s jab to the body is enough to stop most boxers in their tracks and create the space in which Money is virtually unbeatable.
Then there is the fact that Mayweather has a matchless counter right hand. This is a major obstacle for Pacquiao because Manny comes in on the left side with his head up, and is very vulnerable to right hand counters. Just ask Juan Manuel Marquez, who knocked Manny out with a looping right in 2012.
If Mayweather enjoys so many advantages, then why all the excitement about this battle? The answer: Manny Pacquiao is also one of the Gods of War (a term coined by boxing writer Springs Toledo). A world champion in eight weight divisions, Pacquiao is a whirling dervish with lights out punching power and the will of Godzilla.
When Pacquiao is at his best, he moves in and out and side-to-side, all the while zinging combinations on top of combinations. According to CompuBox, Manny averages almost 70 punches per round – in contrast to Mayweather, who averages firing 47 shots every 3 minutes.
Mayweather likes to fight in spurts and at a relatively leisurely place. Pacquiao cannot let him do this tonight. It is imperative that Pacquiao dictate the pace by making Mayweather fight when he would otherwise like to take a breather on the ropes.
And yet there’s a caveat here. Just watch Mayweather’s K.O. of Ricky Hatton. Mayweather has a knack for poisoning his opponents with their own hyper aggression. So the Pacman has to put pressure on – but not reckless pressure. If Pacquiao attacks heedlessly, or gets frustrated and starts looking for a one-punch knockout, Mayweather could turn his lights out with a check hook. Again, intelligent aggression is the key for Pacquiao tonight.
Mayweather leans to his right inside, and Pacquiao will be looking to shoot his straight left down the middle, followed by a right hook to the body. But the Pacman cannot sit around afterwards.
When Mayweather does open up, Pacquiao has to punch when he is punching. He has to throw when Mayweather is throwing.
Kenny Bayless will be the ref tonight. He is a superb third man but also one with a reputation for breaking fighters up on the inside quickly. If that reputation holds true, it will be to Mayweather’s advantage, because Manny has to get the job done in close quarters.
Mayweather likes to throw that lead right and then hold. Manny can’t let him do that. When Mayweather goes for the tackle, Pacquiao has to come up the middle and work the body.
But we could go on with the x’s and o’s for 15 rounds. Who knows what kind of synergy these two unique fighters will produce in the 36 minutes that they contend with one another for their place in boxing history.
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