May 2nd. I thought this fight would never be made. And who knows it may still get called off.
Exciting news.
I’ll be watching. Not a huge Pacquiao fan but I’m in the anyone but Mayweather group.
Quite, seldom has their been a more dislikeable sporting great. I hope Pacquiao kicks the shit out of him.
I usually view Mayweather as a troll. I think many of his antics and comments are done to wind people up, and not just his opponents. I think Mayweather will win, but the more likeable person inside and outside of the ring is Pacquiao.
Conventional wisdom here in Pacquiao’s homeland is that Mayweather always finds some excuse to back out. That’s less of a possibility now that there’s a signed contract, but I won’t believe it until the bell actually rings for round 1.
At least two, maybe three years too late. I’m not even a boxing fan, but I would have done whatever it took to see that fight in 2012, but it isn’t getting me more than mildly interested now. If I can get into the PPV free or cheaply I will, but I wouldn’t pay $20 to see it live in 2015.
I’ll pay to see it, it’s going to be an exciting event, but it really settles nothing. Both these guys are now old, past their prime even though their current condition may be better than all other competition, but it’s still years past the time this fight should have been made. If Mayweather wins most people will say it’s only because he waited for Pacman to get old. If Manny wins both of Mayweather’s fans will say the same thing about him.
I was going to put this in the Sport Conspiracies thread, but figured I’d get more boxing folks to weigh in here. I’m not a boxing fan, but have been caught up in the upcoming fight. As Hawaii has a large Filipino population (one I married into), there’s a ton of Pacquiao fans.
The narrative goes like this:
Mayweather will fight cautiously and on the defensive. Manny no longer has the powerful punches at 36 years, and a knock-out may be unlikely. So, it will be a long methodical fight, where Floyd won’t risk much.
And if it comes to a decision, the “benefit of the doubt” will lean toward the 47-0 boxer.
Although it doesn’t seem like a conspiracy as good strategy. Except the “benefit of the doubt” part. I figure there are checks in the system, like round-by-round scorecards, right?
Yes, there are round by round scorecards, though these are only made public after the fight. They are not given during the fight as they are in Olympic boxing.
Mayweathers fighting style is always cautious; Pac the more aggressive. I’d take the “Manny no longer has the powerful punches” argument with a pinch of salt. Power is usually one of the last things that a fighter loses. The ability to take a powerful shot is normally one of the first things to go as a fighter ages.
Sometimes, but at least as often a boxer develops better ability to withstand powerful blows from the experience of getting hit. Traditionally legs were considered the first thing to go, along with ‘pulling the trigger’, that is getting off the punch they know they should throw. But modern fighters don’t wreck their legs anymore, their training is much better overall, and they keep in training between fights instead of gaining a lot of weight and going out on the town. It’s hard to say what the first sign of old age is for boxers like Manny and Floyd, they are both in fantastic condition and have stayed that way for a long time.
Yep. Watching that first Floyd vs. Maidana fight, I started wondering if Floyd was having trouble “pulling the trigger.” That was the first time I thought Floyd showed any signs of aging (I didn’t watch their 2nd fight).
I agree with Lamar Mundane- three years ago, this would have been a good fight, and meant something. Now it just means that Mayweather stalled until Pac-Man had been beaten up and knocked out badly enough that Mayweather expects an easy fight.
If it comes off. Mayweather may find something or other to complain about to feed his own ego. He needs to reassure himself that he doesn’t need the fight.
I hope Pacquiao knocks him out badly, but I don’t think he will. No matter what happens, Pac is the better fighter, in terms of his overall career and his place in boxing history.
Plus, Mayweather isn’t a “controversial” fighter as the polite terms of sports writers sometimes put it - he’s just an asshole. When Ali or some other fighters played the bad boy, it (eventually) became part of his attraction, because it wasn’t taken seriously. Mayweather doesn’t let anyone think he isn’t serious about being a thuggish jerk.
Pretty much no matter what happens, I will think the same thing. If Mayweather wins a decision, it is because Pac-Man is worn out. If Mayweather wins a knockout, it is because Pac-Man is worn out. If Pacquiao wins, it is because he is the better fighter. Is that fair? I don’t care - Mayweather has not earned the benefit of any doubt.
Regards,
Shodan