Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs Manny Pacquiao: Five things you need to know
The fight is expected to go the distance. Floyd Mayweather has stopped only two of his 12 opponents in the last 10 years while Manny Pacquiao hasn’t knocked out anybody in the last five.
Floyd Mayweather Jr
Stance is orthodox; at 5 ft 8 inches, FM (Jr)’s reach is 72 inches
Brilliant defensive fighter aided by his agility and athleticism in evading punches and getting off the rope; has a notoriously tough chin being never knocked out (the last and only time he was knocked down was 15 years ago) and is considered the quickest counter-puncher in the sport.
He might not throw as many punches as Manny, but is easily the defensive boxer of his generation. He employs a old fashioned technique known as the shoulder roll. The roll avoids opponents shots using the movement of his upper body and blocks using his leading shoulder. It requires a lot of skill to pull of but it leaves his fists free to counter quickly and Mayweather boasts of pinpoint accuracy in his punching.
Mayweather’s has defensive skills but he doesn’t mind getting dirty where he has to. Leaving his left elbow high,he often rushes it into an attacking opponent leaving his right hand useless. When he misses a punch, he’ll often pull down his rival’s head to avoid the counter.
Has struggled against southpaws in recent times landing fewer power punches and jabs in his last few fights; Manny can pile on the grief moving in and out, side to side that irks Money.
Will take inspiration from Pacquiao’s loss to Juan Manuel Marquez: Manny stalked Marquez – also a tough chin – in a cat-and-mouse fight but the hectic pace left the Filipino vulnerable to a straight right counter that threw Manny into the canvas.
Manny Pacquiao
Southpaw with a reach of 67 inches
Boasts of a blinding hand speed and quickness and feinting and unorthodox angles for his combinations; Rains down punches in great volume and a bulk of them connect as he collects points.
One trademark punch to watch out for is his right hook that flies over the left jab. It seems to run counter to logic. The jab puts distance between opponents while the jab needs a close in target. Pacquiao even has the disadvantage of giving several inches in reach but he manages to lean accross and back (to avoid the right cross)and land the hook.
Having risen to fame in Philippines because of attacking style when he turned pro at 17, Pacquiao, now 36, still retains the ability to trouble opponents by setting a high pace with his relentlessly offensive approach.
Has a hammer of a straight left, which he often delivers with one foot off the ground— a superman punch if you will.
Peaks in his punching flurry in Rounds 4 and 9 if stats of the last 5 fights are taken into account.
