Marquez, who hasn’t boxed since May of last year when he beat Mike Alvarado said to Kugan Cassius of Pacquiao;
“Manny Pacquiao is a very, very good fighter. He will have prepared very well for this fight. I think the people will want to see (him in) a good fight.”
This Saturday night Floyd Mayweather meets Manny Pacquiao in a legacy fight for the ages. Only a select number of privileged people will take in the fight live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, broadcasted by both Showtime and HBO on PPV for 100 smack-a-roos including HD. With an estimated 100,000 fans heading for Sin City the stakes are as high as they come for both of these 1st-ballot Hall of Famers. Can Pacman apply the type of pressure that’s needed in order to breakdown Floyd’s defensive wall? Or will Money Mayweather add another notch to his resume that will probably be more respect as time passes?
Instead of hashing out all of the details that got us to this place lets jump right into the deep-end. When the boxer vs. puncher style-clash is presented to the boxing public at an elite level it generally creates a debate. If truth be told it’s one of the oldest arguments on the books and the back and forth never truly goes away.
Good day class, today we are going to test your knowledge of, and dispel a few rumors about, the most highly anticipated fight since Jesus and Satan battled it out for dominion over the earth. By now you have been inundated with more than enough analysis of this fight from newbies and experts alike, so lets see what you have learned by taking the official True or False exam of the fight of the century. In order to save you any test related anxiety, the answers to all questions will be provided.
1) True or False: This is a 50/50 fight.
Floyd Mayweather has promised that there will be no slow start from him when he finally steps between the ropes to face Filipino fighting machine Manny Pacquiao on Saturday night.
Boxing’s P4P #1 has spoken to US basketball show TNT about his gameplan, saying the usually cautious start he adopts to figure out his opponents rhythm is not a part of his plans for this fight. He said;
“I am going to approach it in a very, very aggressive way and go out there and press the attack early.”
“Of course I would love to win by knockout. I am pretty sure he is going to try come at me extremely strong. I am facing one of the best fighters I have faced.”
It feels long overdue for boxing fans, who for five years have had to wait through negotiations, trash talk, and allegations of everything from steroids to fight-ducking.
Now with less than 24 hours before the anticipated matchup between Floyd “Money” Mayweather, and Manny Pacquiao , the fans are left wondering if the hype is real. Fans may have to wait one more day to see if the blows will be exchanged with the same ferocity as the words, but the speed with which the cash is being exchanged is already unanimous.
The mega-bout is estimated to bring in around 400 million from Pay-per-view sales, ticket sales, sponsorships, and merchandising.
As the hours draw closer to the most eagerly anticipated fight of most boxing fan’s lives, the experience couldn’t be more surreal. At the stark risk of disappearing up my own purist arse – the broadcaster hype that follows fights of this magnitude is comparable to people offering you free canapés after you just ate a your favourite home cooked meal.
It’s nice to see others enjoying it, but you’re good. Thanks though.
Much of what is being offered out through glossy lenses is knowledge boxing fans already have. We know Floyd has not lost since he was robbed in the ‘96 Olympics, we know Manny hasn’t had a knockout since the 12th round catch weight bludgeoning of Miguel Cotto in ‘09, we know Floyd had more trouble than honest folk anticipated in two fights against Marcos Madiana last year, we know Manny’s journey from squalor to riches, we know arguably more than any other sound bite – that this fight has been 7 long years in the making.
This will be my last article prior to the big day, the big occasion, the event that is being billed and extolled by many as the greatest event in boxing history. I do not necessarily share those sentiments, because, for me, Ali – Frasier 1, Ali – Foreman, Sugar Ray Leonard – Tommy Hearns 1, and Sugar Ray Leonard – Marvin Hagler were events of as great or greater boxing significance. All of the fighters involved in those events had accomplishments greater than Manny Pacquiao, and the legend of some of them probably equaled or exceeded the accomplishments of Floyd Mayweather Jr. Of course Floyd would disagree with this, and he has every right to be. Because his accomplishments are significant, and one can legitimately argue that he is indeed the The Best Ever (TBE).
In a boxing matchup that has stirred the interest and emotions of sports fans around the world, the undefeated and universally recognized No. 1 pound-for-pound boxer Mayweather (47-0, 26 KOs), an 11-time world champion in five weight classes, will take on Pacquiao (57-5-2, 38 KOs), the fighting pride of the Philippines and only boxer to capture world titles in eight weight classes, in a 12-round welterweight world championship unification fight.
(In this piece, East Side Boxing/Boxing247’s resident scribe, Vivek “Vito” Wallace takes a glimpse at the media coverage of this historical bout, and why it could do without the very noticeable biases. Tomorrow, fans will get a glimpse of the legacies built by these two great warriors, and on Saturday, we take a look at “Keys to Victory”, “Four to Explore”, and a “Final Prediction”).
The world of Boxing has long been viewed as a sport on life support. Tyson, Holyfield, Oscar, and a few others maintained a status most thought would last forever. One by one those shining stars faded into the night, shifting the focus of most casual fans to the the NFL, NBA, and even MMA.
In a great parallel to life itself, any time a sun sets, another rising ‘son’ will soon follow. This particular era would produce two. One in America, and one in the poverty stricken streets of the Philippines.
“I’m a Mayweather man” said De Gale;
“It really is hard to bet against Floyd Mayweather. I actually think he’s a boxing genius. I think he’s achieved a whole heap in boxing and I think he probably don’t get enough credit for what he’s achieved.”
Talking about the enormity of this career-defining fight and the pressure on both fighters, “Chunky” said;