A muscular Mayweather will be impossible for Pacquiao to beat

By ESB - 08/04/2012 - Comments

By Michael Collins: If you’ve had the chance to see the muscle that Floyd Mayweather Jr. has put on during his jail term at the Clark County Detention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, it’s hard to look at him and imagine Manny Pacquiao being able to compete with him now. Mayweather Jr. looks a lot more muscular in the shoulders and arms, and I’m now wondering whether he can even make 147 in the future without having to drain himself in the process.

Of course, a fight between Mayweather and Pacquiao isn’t going to be happening until 2013, if at all, because the Filipino fighter’s promoter Bob Arum recently ruled out a fight between Pacquiao and Mayweather for 2013. Arum wants to match Pacquiao up against either of his Top Rank fighters Juan Manuel Marquez or Tim Bradley next in November.

We saw Pacquiao struggle last November in winning a highly controversial 12 round decision over a muscular Juan Manuel Marquez. Pacquiao had huge problems with Marquez’s strength and size, as Marquez really bulked up for the fight and his new power gave Pacquiao fits. Mayweather already is bigger than Pacquiao to begin with, sporting a two inch height and a five inch reach advantage over him. But when you factor in Mayweather’s new muscle strength, it’s going to be awfully difficult for Pacquiao in this fight.

If history is any guide, a fight between Pacquiao and Mayweather won’t be happening next year or the year after for that matter. There’s always something that will come up to ruin the fight from happening, such as the blood testing, Arum wanting an outdoor stadium build, the two fighters not agreeing on the purse split or some kind of injury getting in the way of the fight date. But if the fight does get made, and that’s big if, Pacquiao will have a lot of problems with Mayweather’s strength. However, if Mayweather can no longer make 147 lbs without draining himself, it will give Pacquiao a chance at winning it. I can’t see Pacquiao agreeing to fight Mayweather at a catch weight of 150, even though Pacquiao fought fellow Top Rank fighter Antonio Margarito at a catchweight of 150 lbs for the vacant WBC 154 pound title in November 2010.