Manny Pacquiao

Paulie Malignaggi, a man we are more used to being behind the mic these days has spoken to iFLtv at the MGM Grand in Vegas ahead of Saturday’s “super-fight”. The Magic Man, who plans on making his own in-ring return later in May on the Khan-Algieri undercard against Danny O’Connor said of the enormity of Saturday’s massive main event;

“It’s the biggest fight of the last 15 years, at least going into it. I think the last time we talked this much about a fight was maybe Tyson vs Lewis, De La Hoya vs Trinidad. Neither of those fights really lived up to the hype so it’s hard to live up to the hype of the BIG events. Hagler/Hearns, you know that lived up to the hype. Some fights do live up to the hype so we’ll see. Hopefully we’ll be talking about how amazing it was once it’s over as opposed to forgetting about it like those other events.”

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The ever divisive Adrien Broner (30-1, 22ko) has spoken to FightHype.com after a trip to the Mayweather gym to visit his friend and mentor Floyd in sparring.

Broner, who at his worst is a bare-faced Floyd imitator, has said Mayweather is sharp and very focused ahead of Saturday’s fight;

“It’s tunnel vision now. You can tell there’s only one thing on his mind.”

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British WBA super-middleweight boss Carl Froch (33-2, 24ko) has this lunchtime (tue) spoken to Sky Sports News and become the latest in a long-line of fighters to wade in with a pick for Saturday night, offering his own tactical insight into what each man must do and also into whether or not his career has wound down to a natural conclusion.

Froch, a year removed from his stadium rematch with George Groves at Wembley, is certainly a fighter used to a big occasion. (Albeit not as big as this!)

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Clichés like “key to victory” and strategic game-planning referring to the coaches’ insights and observations are a vital part of the mental preparation and the “psyche” of any pugilist. However even the most elaborate game plan is just a hypothesis, an intention that lasts until the first big shot is landed. In the late rounds when incremental damage piles up boxers fight on habit and instinct with rare moments of ingenuity and little regard of the initial game plan. They are creatures of habit like everyone and rarely act out of character especially under pressure. Hence the importance of style – an amalgam of habits and steady boxing skills replenished and honed over the years. Here is a review and comparison of the combatants’ fundamentals before the clash of epic financial proportions and yet-to-be-seen technical value.

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