It looks like all true boxing connoisseurs are finally going to get to realise their dreams and witness the ultimate battle for boxing ring supremacy. The World's Richest ever boxing match looks set for May the second this year. Experts predict it could gross one billion dollars in revenue. The victor in the fight between Pound for Pound legends Mayweather and Pacquiao then, will truly be the Champion of Champions. Between them they have been World Champion in an incredible 14 different weight divisions. It is remarkable in itself that two such great fighters as these are around in the same era but equally, despite the whining of the naysayers, its remarkable that this fight has near perfect timing. This fight reminds me so much of when Mike Tyson fought Evander Holyfield in November of '96. Everyone said it was six years too late but now we know different. The same will be the case here. These two both have plenty left to give in the ring and this might just be spectacular. For Manny, a win will wash away all sins of the past. His 5 losses will fade into the ether if he can defeat the man that no one else of his peers has been able to do. For Floyd, one more perfect performance will elevate to the very echelons of boxing greats.
So how will it unfold? The biggest challenge I believe will be for the Pac Man. For the first time in his career forfeiting height and reach advantage to his foe will be crucial. Can his speed and footwork make up for this disparity against such a craftsman as Mayweather? Floyd also must prepare like never before to face a Filipino hurricane who will be relentless in his attack and motivated beyond anything he (Floyd) has seen before. True he has faced the likes of Hatton and Maidana who were ferocious but they were crude in their methods and this lack of technical skill limited the effectiveness of their ferocity. This is not the case with the 'Pride of the Philippines'. He is a consummate professional with swordsmanship to match his tremendous courage. Pacquiao can be relied upon to be game. Will this be enough to carry him to victory though? As I have said on these pages before, the only way to beat 'Money' is to catch him coming forward onto a punch that either relieves him of his senses completely or puts him at such a disadvantage that a great fighter might be able to finish him off or obtain enough knockdowns to secure a victory. This obviously is much easier said than done. Mayweather is probably the greatest defensive fighter of all time. Like other great defensive fighters, such as James Toney, he has an almost sixth sense in reading where and when the punches are coming and avoiding or blocking them. And like Toney, he is an aggressive finisher when the opportunity arrives and is a ruthless finisher-but not recently and neither has Manny been either. Knockouts have been few and far between for these two fighters in their last few fights respectively and that could be the key in this battle. Manny must come forward with 'thinking' aggression. He must apply educated pressure to somehow get the upper hand on the inside-this is his advantage and his only chance. If he stays at a distance and tries to outbox Mayweather he can't win. Floyd on the other hand needs only to fight the perfect fight-which he has done countless times before. He can rack up points, pot shotting while moving out of range. If he gets into his rhythm doing this he will lead Manny a merry old dance and make him look pedestrian. Manny can only prevent this by pushing forward and keeping the pace at breakneck speed. (Think Morales V Barrera I) Then he can avoid Floyd's punches coming in at weird angles and look to find hurtful shots from unusual angles himself.
It's a mouthwatering prospect so we can only hope nothing gets in the way of the fight now. Although statistics favour Mayweather there is no certainty here by any means-Manny would rather die than lose and to lose to Mayweather must be his ultimate dread. The same goes for Floyd who has beaten so many great fighters, many of them unbeaten before. So what happens? Just wait for that first bell.