SCOTT CANIPE STRATEGIC PREVIEW OF MAYWEATHER VS. PACQUIAO
By Scott Canipe, Real Combat Media Boxing Video Reporter
Las Vegas, NV (April 30, 2015)– On Saturday night, May 2, 2015 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, Floyd Mayweather stands across the ring to face Manny Pacquiao. This has been the bout that the boxing world and casual fans have been begging for. We got it! No more talk about Floyd Mayweather being a coward. No more annoying babble about Pacquiao’s refusal to submit to the demands of Floyd Mayweather. Every demand has been met!
I have always maintained that the fight would most assuredly take place. There’s too much money involved and their legacies are at stake for this fight not to happen. Just as the boxing prophet, Cus D’Amato presciently made the statement that two teenagers would eventually face each other, Mike Tyson and Lennox Lewis did in fact meet in the professional ranks. It is the same with Floyd Mayweather vs Manny Pacquiao. It is upon us! It is going to happen! This is their destiny! The monetary gains that will be acquired by the parties involved will be astronomical to say the least. Pay-per-views buys will eclipse any record the sport has accomplished in the past.
I feel this is going to be a close and intriguing fight.
It is the classic match-up of:
Floyd Mayweather (Orthodox) – An undefeated thinking boxer who executes with reflexive speed that can fight from the outside by using his legs or stand in the pocket and deflect or roll with incoming blows as he counter-punches. He places a high premium on defense while looking for counter-punching opportunities. Floyd Mayweather is always in superb shape and takes the sport very seriously. He is a magnificent and a veritable talent to witness. His defense is as good any great of the past; Pernell Whitaker, Willie Pep, Wilfred Benitez, to name a few.
VS
Manny Pacquiao (Southpaw) – A swarming power puncher that executes with blinding speed both of hand and foot. He can close the distance with lightening like rapidity and throw 6-8 punch combos or deliver a knockout punch with one shot. He places more emphasis on offense than defense. Manny Pacquiao comes in with confidence and always in the best of condition. He is somewhat reminiscent of the great Henry Armstrong combined with Aaron Pryor and Beau Jack! These men were tremendous swarming punchers with unrelenting pressure and conditioning. Manny Pacquiao has given us some tremendous thrills and he is a once in a lifetime talent to behold!
The Match-up
Styles do make fights and this is a dandy one! This fight puts a swarming puncher with great in and out footwork vs a thinking, methodical counter-puncher. This is a clash of two opposite styles and that’s why it makes for a great fight. Additionally, they are fighting to cement their legacies.
Floyd Mayweather has been prone to have problems with swarmers and southpaws in the past. Manny is short, moves around the ring, has blinding handspeed, a lead puncher, and operates from the outskirts of the pocket, with power. He will be the best combination of all of these attributes that Floyd Mayweather has ever faced. Floyd has encountered swarmers (Marcos Maidana, etc.) and southpaws (Zab Judah, etc.), but he has NEVER seen a fighter like Manny Pacquiao that integrates and executes these two styles to the maximum.
There are things that Pacquiao can do to exploit Mayweather’s weaknesses. For example, Floyd has a tendency to give up the first four rounds as he adapts to his opponents. This would give Manny Pacquiao a great opportunity to score on points and be ahead in the fight going into the middle rounds. Secondly, Floyd has a tendency to fight is a measured tempo and according to CompuBox stats, Floyd’s output average is around 40 punches per round however, at a 48% connect rate. Mathematically this translates to an average of about 480 punches in a 12 round fight. Quite conceivably, Manny Pacquiao can take advantage of this and pile up the points to a decision win.
That being said, Manny Pacquiao’s kryptonite is a superb counter-puncher, especially with the straight right hand who can adapt to his style. Floyd Mayweather is the best in the business at this! NO-ONE that Pacquiao has ever faced can remotely compare to Floyd Mayweather in this regard along with his other strengths. In every outing, Mayweather illustrates just how skilled, intelligent, tactical, accurate, and versatile he is. In many of his bouts, the skill set that he executes, combined with his sheer athletic prowess, make him look virtually unbeatable. How is Manny Pacquiao going to overcome all of these great attributes?
Who wins?
When these 2 pugilistic powerhouses meet in the squared circle, what will be the outcome? Floyd is the undefeated one, and in my estimation, it will be more difficult for Manny to win over Floyd than Floyd over Manny. That being said, Floyd has the greater pressure on him. It’s Floyd’s venue, the 60/40 split, Floyd making accusations toward Manny Pacquiao, Floyd’s undefeated record, Floyd is the favorite, etc. Floyd “Money” Mayweather definitely has the most pressure going into this fight.
But Floyd thrives off of pressure!
I feel that Floyd Mayweather is DOMINATE at distance fighting from a controlled range but, they are about EVEN regarding their inside game. Although Pacquiao, operates from the outskirts of the pocket, with power and blazing speed of hand and foot. What a great stylistic matchup! That being said I feel that Floyd Mayweather possesses more tools in his arsenal. It will not be easy for Floyd and his masterful defensive wizardry, but he will get the job done. It will be volume vs precision. Precision and adaptability should prevail. The superior counter-punching boxer will outpoint the aggressive swarmer. This fight goes to Floyd Mayweather via a SD, but Manny Pacquiao will make him work for it. Mayweather might even get dropped.
Styles make fights and this fight pits a veritable offensive machine against one of the greatest defensive counterpunchers the Sweet Science has ever known. Both fighters are great and this event is going to be even greater! Let’s get it on!!!
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