By: Tony Penecale

Find Tony on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TornadoTP

FINALLY!!!!  After six years of arguing, negotiating, finger-pointing, and the real possibility that it would never happen, the long-awaited superfight between Floyd “Money” Mayweather Jr. and Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao is finally about to happen.  There is a possibility of grossing upwards of $300 million between them, easily the richest event in sports history.  Mayweather is set to make $180 million.  He would earn $15 million per round, $5 million per minute, & $83,333.33 per second.  Pacquaio would make $120 million and would earn $10 million per round, $3,333,333.33 per minute, & $55,555.56 per second.  Las Vegas is a gambling town, and after years of bluffing, raising the ante, and calling each other out, both fighters have put all their chips in.  Their legacies are on the table.  Now, it’s time to see who is really holding the Aces when they step in the ring.

AGE, RECORD, AND STATS

Mayweather:                      Age:  38 years old

Record:  47-0 (26 Knockouts)

Height:  5’8”

Weight:  146   * * Weight for last bout (9-13-14)

Reach:  72”

Pacquiao:                Age:  35 years old

Record:  57-5-2 (38 Knockouts)

Height:  5’6”

Weight:  144 ** Weight for last bout (11-20-14)

Reach:  67”

RING ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Mayweather:

1996 Olympic Bronze Medalist

WBC Super Featherweight Champion (’98-’02)

WBC Lightweight Champion (’02-’04)

Ring Magazine Lightweight Champion (’02-’04)

WBC Junior Welterweight Champion (’05-’06)

IBF Welterweight Champion (’06)

WBC Welterweight Champion (’06-‘07)

WBC Junior Middleweight Champion (’07)

WBA Junior Middleweight Champion (’12)

WBC Welterweight Champion (’11-Pres)

Ring Magazine Welterweight Champion (’06-‘07)

Ring Magazine Pound-4-Pound #1 Boxer (’05-’07, ’12-Pres)

Pacquiao:

WBC Flyweight Champion (’98-‘99)

IBF Super Bantamweight Champion (’01-’03)

WBC Super Featherweight Champion (’08)

WBC Lightweight Champion (‘08)

IBO Junior Welterweight Champion (’09)

WBO Welterweight Champion (’09-‘12)

WBO Welterweight Champion (’14-Pres)

Ring Magazine Pound-4-Pound #1 Boxer (’08-‘12)

Ring Magazine Pound-4-Pound #4 Boxer (Pres)

STYLE

Mayweather:

A pure boxer with great speed who does everything well with an arsenal that includes a snapping jab, accurate right hand and a left hook that can be doubled and tripled with tremendous effect.  Uses feint moves to freeze opponents and open punching lanes.  Tucks his chin well behind his shoulder to roll with punches.  Even on the ropes, he is a difficult target to land a solid punch on.  He doesn’t have great punching power.  Most of his stoppage victories come from outpunching and outclassing his opponents but rarely scoring clean knockouts.

Pacquiao:

Pacquiao boxes from a southpaw stance, moving forward and bobbing and feinting his way in.  Once in close, he uses his right hand to find the range and then unleashes his powerful left, either straight or looping, and he will often double and triple it to the body and head.  Uses quick head shifts to slip punches while moving forward.  Has soundly developed under the tutelage of Freddie Roach, developing a decent right hook, either as a lead punch or thrown behind the left.  Uses quick head shifts to slip punches while moving forward. Is no longer the feared finisher he once was earlier in his career.

STRENGTHS

Mayweather:

* Experience – Boxing is in Mayweather’s blood, and he’s been involved in the sport since his childhood.  Completed an extensive amateur career by winning the bronze medal in the ’96 Olympic Games.  He has been competing successfully on a championship level for the past 17 years, facing and defeating fighters with a variety of styles.

* Conditioning – Mayweather is a fitness freak with an amazing work ethic when it comes to training.  Few fighters push themselves as much as Mayweather does in the gym, even doing midnight training sessions.  It is evident in the ring when his stamina carries him in the late rounds.

* Ring Generalship – Mayweather knows every inch of the ring and how to control a fight.  He knows when to attack, when to box, when to turn up the heat, and when to coast.  Mayweather owns the ring when he is in there.  Even the rare times when he has been stunned in fights, he was able to quickly settle down and quell the threat.

Pacquiao:

* Unorthodox Style – Pacquiao is very unorthodox, even for a southpaw.  He moves straight in but is hard to time with his bobbing and head feints.  Before most opponents can time his onrushes, he is throwing whirlwind punches from a variety of angles.

* Speed – Pacquiao is fleet of foot and the owner of very fast hands, especially for a boxer with such considerable power.  He quickly moves into position and fires rapid one-two combinations. He’s expanded his arsenal to include blinding combinations of hooks, uppercuts, and double or triple left hands.

* Stamina – Pacquiao is always in tremendous shape and fights just as hard in the last round as he does in the first.  He applies a ton of pressure and is constantly punching, wearing opponents down in the process.

WEAKNESSES

Mayweather:

* Aging – Mayweather may have an unblemished record, but Father Time has never been defeated.  Mayweather has been more flat-footed in recent bouts.  His first encounter with Marcos Maidana was a rough and tumble affair where Mayweather looked very ordinary.  The rematch was more definitive but unimpressive.

* Distractions – Maweather loves to be in the public eye and never shies away from controversy.  Most notably are his public disputes and reconciliations with his father and trainer, Floyd Mayweather, Senior.  The most recent camp turbulence came in the form of a training camp dispute between Floyd Sr. and Alex Ariza, working as the strength and conditioning coach.  A non-harmonious training camp could lead to unnecessary distractions.

* Punching Power – Most of Mayweather’s stoppage wins came from an accumulation of punches.  The usual result is the referee or opposing corner stopping the bout to prevent further punishment.  Notwithstanding his controversial and explosive knockout of Victor Ortiz, it is rare to see Mayweather finish a bout with one punch, dating all the way back to his days as a 130-pounder.

Pacquiao:

* Killer Instinct – Pacquiao was once regarded as a ruthless buzzsaw, cutting through opponents until they succumbed.  He has since lost that edge, failing to win a fight by stoppage since 2009.  More of a concern is that on several occasions he eased up on outclassed opponents, allowing them to survive the last few rounds.

* Trouble with Counterpunchers – Pacquiao is an aggressive, offense-first fighter who will freely throw punches, but he can be timed and is often open to be hit with counters.  Juan Manuel Marquez gave him fits with movement and counter punches, even scoring a spectacular knockout over Pacquiao with a perfectly-timed counter right hand.

* Age – Pacquiao is no longer the phenomenon he was in his 20s.  He is now in his mid-30s.  As he has physically aged, he has also taken on a super human schedule with political aspirations in his home country, numerous personal appearances, and several difficult bouts.

PREVIOUS BOUT

Mayweather:

(09-13-14) Mayweather neutralized and outboxed Marcos Maidana in a rematch from their closer-than-expected bout from four months prior.  While the action was sparse, it was a case of Mayweather using his superior skills and intelligence to thwart his aggressive but limited opponent.

Pacquiao:

(11-20-14) Pacquiao won a dominating unanimous decision over the game but vastly inexperienced Chris Algieri.  Pacquiao was in control from the start and scored a total of six knockdowns, somehow failing to score the knockout some experts thought he needed to be in position for the Mayweather fight to happen.

THREE BEST PERFORMANCES

Mayweather:

* Diego Corrales (1/20/01) – Experts were torn on who to pick in this one with many leaning towards Corrales to win by KO.  Mayweather never let him in the bout, knocking him down five times before the referee halted the bout in the 10th round.

* Arturo Gatti (6/25/05) – Although Mayweather was a solid betting favorite, many expected Gatti to make things rough for Mayweather.  It never happened, as Mayweather floored Gatti in the first round and dealt out a severe beating before Gatti’s corner stopped the bout after six one-sided rounds.

* Ricky Hatton (12/8/07) – Hatton was undefeated coming into the bout and set a gameplan of constant pressure to wear out Mayweather.  After a few uncomfortable rounds, Mayweather was able to find his range and take over, flooring Hatton twice in the 10th round and forcing a stoppage.

Pacquiao:

* Oscar De la Hoya (12/06/08) – It’s hard to imagine now, but the consensus at the time was that De la Hoya would destroy the smaller Pacquiao in a landslide.  It was a landslide, but it was Pacquiao dishing out the beating, ripping De la Hoya apart with both hands.  After eight one-sided and brutal rounds, a swollen and bloodied De la Hoya was beaten into permanent retirement.

* Miguel Cotto (11/14/09) – Pacquiao impressively dismantled the larger and physically imposing Cotto.  Pacquiao dropped the Puerto Rican superstar twice early. From the 6th round on, Pacquiao had Cotto in a defensive shell, battering him until the referee stopped the bout in the 12th round.

* Ricky Hatton (05/02/09) – Pacquio ran through Hatton in fast and destructive fashion.  Hatton–while still an underdog–was expected to provide a challenge with his strength and mauling tactics.  Pacquiao unveiled an improved right hook and had Hatton down twice in the first round before crushing him with a devastating knockout in the second.

COMMON OPPONENTS

*Oscar De la Hoya

– Mayweather: Split Decision 2007

– Pacquiao: TKO 8^th round 2008

*Miguel Cotto

– Mayweather: Unanimous Decision 2013

– Pacquiao: TKO 12^th round 2009

*Ricky Hatton

– Mayweather: TKO 10^th round 2007

– Pacquiao: KO 2^nd round 2009

* Shane Mosley

– Mayweather: Unanimous Decision 2010

– Pacquiao: Unanimous Decision 2011

* Juan Manuel Marquez

– Mayweather: Unanimous Decision 2009

– Pacquiao: Draw 2004, Split Decision 2008, Majority Decision 2011,

KO’d 6^th round 2012

KEYS TO VICTORY

Mayweather:

* Get Pacquiao’s respect early, timing his rushes, and hitting him with straight right hands.

* Use clinches to smother Pacquiao and thwart any offensive momentum.

* Do not try to trade punches with Pacquiao.

Pacquiao:

* Use feints to get Mayweather to make the first move.

* Don’t aim strictly at Mayweather’s head.  Focus on the body, arms, and torso?

* Do not let Mayweather control the tempo.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

* Can the fight live up to the hype?  Unless this turns out to be Hagler-Hearns, Gatti-Ward, and Ali-Frazier all rolled up into one, it will be nearly impossible to live up to the hype that has surrounded this match-up for over six years.  The hype might be inflated and overbearing, but it can still be entertaining.

* Is the fight happening too late?  Both fighters are in their late 30s. While these two phenoms are still elite competitors, they are past their primes.  Even so, instances of fighters past their primes matching up perfectly and turning in an epic encounter have occurred on several occasions.

* Who has the most to lose?  Mayweather without a doubt has the most to lose.  Pacquiao is an icon in his home country, so no matter what happens, he will remain a beloved figure.  Mayweather is boasting about himself as “The Best Ever” and relishes his undefeated record.  He even said recently that he’s better than Muhammad Ali was. A loss obliterates the “0” on Mayweather’s record and will provide more fodder for the argument that he is not even the best of his generation.

* How will their styles match up?  It figures to be a classic boxer vs puncher match-up.  Mayweather is a consummate strategist.  He is a master of figuring out his opponents, frustrating them, and setting up counter punches.  Pacquiao will press the action, try to overwhelm, breaking through Mayweather’s defense with a high volume of punches.  It will be a clash of Quantity against Quality.  Pacquiao will throw more punches, more punches than anybody has ever thrown against Mayweather.  Mayweather will throw less but land at a higher connect rate, with sharp counter punches.

* What are the chances of a Knockout?  Pacquiao is known as the better puncher, but he has failed to score a stoppage victory since battering Miguel Cotto in 2009.  Mayweather has scored only one stoppage victory since 2007 against the weak-chinned Victor Ortiz.  The two most likely scenarios for a knockout win would either be Pacquiao becoming reckless and leaving himself open to Mayweather’s straight right hand or Mayweather suddenly becoming an old fighter and wilting under Pacquiao’s relentless pressure.  Likely, this fight will go to the scorecards.

* Will the officials factor into the conclusion?  Kenny Bayless has been assigned as the referee and is regarded as one of the best in boxing.  He has worked as the referee in six previous Pacquiao fights and four previous Mayweather bouts.  The only backlash he received from those ten total bouts was the Mayweather-Maidana rematch where he was criticized for breaking up the inside clinches too quickly, seemingly favoring Mayweather against the mauling style of Maidana.  With Mayweather naturally bigger than Pacquiao, breaking up clinches quickly (especially if Pacquiao has any momentum) would serve more as a disadvantage to Mayweather.  The judges are Burt Clements, Dave Moretti, both veteran officials in Las Vegas, and Glenn Feldman, based out of Connecticut.  Moretti has worked nine Mayweather bouts and six Pacquiao bouts.  Clements has worked three Mayweather bouts and one Pacquiao bout.  Feldman has only worked one Mayweather bout early in his career.

* What happens next?  If the fight turns out to be entertaining, close, or controversial, a rematch is possible depending on the outcome.

If Mayweather wins, he is 48-0 and can walk away from Pacquiao and seek a different challenge for his final fight.  He could even seek a possible move up to grab a title at middleweight and another superfight with the next big sensation Gennady Golovkin.

If Pacquiao wins, a rematch is almost a given, especially with so much money on the table.

A draw would also most likely force a rematch for the final fight of Mayweather’s career sometime in September.

PENECALE PREDICTION

The anticipation as the fighters make their way to the ring will be electric.  The growing crescendo of excitement will continue through the introductions with Mayweather sporting a confident smirk and Pacquaio fixated with an icy glare.

The waiting will be over when the bell rings and both fighters come out to the center of the ring.  Mayweather will be moving to his left, rolling his hands and probing with a soft jab.  Pacquiao will be like a coiled spring, bouncing back and forth and feinting with his jab.  Pacquiao will throw a few wild left hands that Mayweather backs away from, his back hitting the ropes as he slides away to his right.  The round will end without anything conclusive landing for either fighter, making it difficult to score.

Pacquiao will look to increase the pace in the second round and outwork Mayweather.  While Mayweather is the center of the ring, he will dictate the pace and the action, keeping Pacquiao limited to throwing one punch at a time.  When Pacquiao is able to cut the ring off and back Mayweather to the ropes, he will unleash combinations.  The flurries for the most part won’t land, but the work rate will stir the crowd into a frenzy.

Pacquaio will continue the high volume of punches through the 3^rd and 4^th rounds until Mayweather lands a right hand while their feet are tangled, causing Pacquiao to sprawl to the canvas.  He will protest while Bayless administers the count, but he will not be hurt. Mayweather will smile and move in, throwing a few right hands, truly seeing if Pacquiao is stunned.  Pacquiao will respond with his own vicious left hand, bringing the crowd to their feet as the bell rings.

Mayweather will again box cautiously starting the 5^th round, staying on the outside and pivoting away when Pacquiao gets close.  The fight will resemble a cat and mouse affair with Pacquiao trying to corner Mayweather and Mayweather trying to bait him into making a mistake.  Pacquiao will be the aggressor, throwing far more punches.  Mayweather will be timing him with single counter punches throughout the 6^th and 7^th rounds.

A sharp left hand by Pacquiao in the 8^th round will startle Mayweather and cause blood to leak from his nose.  Pacquiao will try to press the advantage and unleash another torrent of punches.  Mayweather will pull away against the ropes, and Pacquiao will focus his attention to the body with a combination of punches to the chest and shoulder, forcing Mayweather to clinch and break the momentum.

Mayweather will get up on his toes in the 9^th round, using lateral movement to keep Pacquiao from setting his feet and unleashing more than one punch at a time.  Pacquiao will step in with a few lefts that are blocked, but Mayweather’s movement will keep him from throwing any follow-up punches.  As Mayweather slips out, he will land his own counter punches, making it another difficult round to score.

Throughout the 10^th and 11^th rounds, Mayweather will execute a plan to counter Pacquiao with single punches and avoid most of his counter flurries.  Pacquiao will step in with a hard left to the body, forcing a Mayweather clinch.  When the action resumes, Pacquiao will look to attack the body again, only to be met with a straight right hand over the top.

The final round in a very close bout will see Mayweather neutralizing Pacquiao’s rushes, landing single counter punches and pivoting away from danger, sharpshooting from the outside.  Pacquiao will desperately try to corner Mayweather but he won’t allow it, moving on the outside and clinching in close, bringing an anticlimactic ending as the final bell rings.

It will take several minutes for the scorecards to be tabulated, with the consensus believing Mayweather won 7 rounds, including a knockdown.  Pacquaio will pray in his corner while Mayweather smiles and laughs with his entourage.

The decision will be as follows.  Glen Feldman will score the bout 114-113 for Pacquaio.  Burt Clements will score 115-112 for Mayweather.  Dave Moretti will score the bout a very curious 115-112 for the winner of the biggest superfight of the century…. MANNY “PACMAN” PACQUIAO!!!!

With the decision announced, a disgusted Mayweather will demand a rematch before storming out of the ring, setting up another lucrative event in September and a possible trilogy.