Back in 2009, boxing fanatics were heartbroken to be denied the chance to witness one of the greatest matches in boxing history between the undefeated world champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. and the eight-division world champion Manny Pacquiao. At the time, great disagreements on the terms of the fight from both boxer camps prevented it from happening despite predictions that it would be the highest grossing boxing match of all time. Some experts accused Floyd of being too demanding while others called Manny scared and stubborn. During the negations of the fight, the 8-page contract was so detailed that it indicated who would step onto the scales first during the weigh-in, who would enter the ring first during the match, who had first choice for the locker room and who would be introduced first. Mayweather also requested for Olympic-style drug testing up to the weigh-in. The fight was finally cancelled after negotiations hit rock bottom, thus giving sadness to online betting fans.
Pacquiao vs Mayweather Set To Shatter Online Betting World
.@FloydMayweather announces Manny Pacquiao fight via selfie app @Shots http://t.co/N9GBnCre95 via @KurtWagner8 pic.twitter.com/0VoPcr9Fgm
— Re/code (@Recode) February 21, 2015
A Second Chance At Witnessing The Greatest Boxing Match
The good news is that boxing enthusiasts now have another chance to witness one the greatest boxing matches of all time. A few days ago, Mayweather took to social media and confirmed that indeed the fight between him and Manny has been signed, and the contest has been agreed to on May 2, 2015.
Both boxers seem to have resolved their past issues and negotiations have been finalized. The two fighters will face off at the famous MGM Grand in Las Vegas. The match is expected to shatter online betting and Pay-per-view buy records, with ticket prices ranging from $3,500 to $300,000. There are already speculations and analysis about who will be victorious. If you are a betting man, this will be a hard match to wager on especially if you look at the track record of both fighters. The chances of either one of the fighters winning are 50/50 according to most boxing analysts.
Why Boxing Odds Favor Floyd Mayweather to Win
As of February 2015, Mayweather –who is 38 years old– has yet to lose a single match with a professional record of 47 wins, 26 of them being knockouts. Some analysts predict he will win the match probably by a unanimous decision due to three main reasons. First, he has faced all sorts of fighters and he has never lost to any of them. From boxer-punchers to heavy punchers and unconventional fighters, Mayweather has beaten them all. Manny has a little of all that in him. He is a heavy puncher who can box, brawl and throw punches in a very unusual manner. However, if history is anything to go by, Floyd will figure his opponent out by the middle rounds, after all, his crafty defense and ring intelligence is impressive. Secondly, Mayweather is still too smooth in the ring. Some analysts will have you think that Floyd is getting old and slowing down particularly because he took some hard hits and was briefly hurt in his last two fights. That’s far from the truth. If Manny can connect with something hard, he could put him down but that will not happen because Mayweather’s chin has never let him down. His defense reflexes are as outstanding as ever. Manny won’t see his quick feet and superfast hands coming until it is too late. Floyd also knows how to avoid danger and traps. He is simply too smooth to take a solid hit from Manny.
Finally, Mayweather will be fighting to protect his legacy. We all know this fight should have happened half a decade ago. At that time, both men were in the shape of their lives. If Floyd had retired without facing Manny – even with an undefeated record, there would always be a gap in his career. People would always ask “what if”. Mayweather knows that this fight will have a major influence on how he will be viewed in history, and we know that is important to him. Thus, he will fight with the strength and will to secure his legacy.
Why Manny Pacquiao Might Win
With an impressive 57 wins, 38 by knockout, only 5 losses and 2 draws, Manny also has plenty to offer as far as his fight with Mayweather goes. Currently the third best pound-for-pound boxer, and the only eight-division world champion, Manny has won more than ten world tiles, and is on top of his game having won several matches recently. On the other hand, Mayweather has been relatively quiet. If there’s one thing that catches up to fighters is inactivity – and age too. We are talking about a boxer who has retired twice so it is understandable that some analysts say he will not be at his prime when facing Manny, and thus will lose.
Another reason why Manny might beat Floyd is that he has an excellent coach who has experience against Floyd. Before he began training Manny, Freddie Roach was Oscar De La Hoya’s coach. Back in 2007, Oscar faced Mayweather and the match ended in a split decision after 12 rounds. Mayweather was arguably the better fighter but Oscar was indeed able to hammer him with punches at certain points, and the fact that he could hold Mayweather for the entire 12 rounds says something about Freddie’s strategy. In fact, the fight was the most competitive challenge to Mayweather in five years. Now imagine what Freddie is capable of with a fighter like Manny.
Furthermore, don’t forget Manny is left-handed. If you look at history, Mayweather has struggled against the left-handed fighters he has fought. This has plenty to do with his shoulder roll based defense. Guys like Corley and Mosley have hurt Floyd before because of this. Thus, it is hard not to see a great fighter like Manny land quality shots on him. To make it worse, Manny is equally gifted on both hands, and is much faster than all of Mayweather’s previous opponents meaning he might manage to land those shots frequently. Manny is also a heavy hitter, so just a few of those punches could do some real damage and maybe even end the night early for Mr. Floyd Mayweather.
