A look at the weight issue between Pacquiao and Mayweather

Pittsburgh Fight Sports Examiner | Scott Heritage

The most hotly debated detail of the Pacquiao-Mayweather super fight currently being ironed out is the weight that the bout will be fought at.

In its simplest terms Mayweather is naturally the bigger man and wants a higher weight while Pacquiao would no doubt perform better at a lighter weight.

Pacquiao has been able to bulk up in the past and still retain his speed and power, but being fairly short (5,6), there is only so much muscle he can pack on before he slows down and his stamina is affected. (For a comparable example look at Roy Jones at middleweight and then in his later years at light heavyweight) Mayweather is slightly taller (5,7) and can more easily carry those last few pounds than Pacquiao, not to mention he has fought at a generally higher weight for a lot longer.

Mayweather tends to like to remind people that he used to fight at 130lbs, but this was at the very beginning of his career, and he hasn't fought at anything like this since the late 90s. Floyd's representatives will be pushing for the Welterweight limit of 147lb being the contracted weight. This is despite various sources claiming he is trying to get the bout pushed to super welterweight.

There is always a lot of bluster and bartering during negotiations for big fights like this, and a lot of the claims by either side are simply a result of this. For example reports that Mayweather wanted a junior middleweight weight limit for the fight aren't probably that serious, but pave the way for a 147lb limit during negotiations. If Floyd came right out and said he only wanted 147lbs, then Pacquiao and team would insist on a lower catchweight. This is a basic tactic used by both sides that will eventually mean the weight will be somewhere in the middle of where the two sides want.

Manny Pacquiao simply will not fight Floyd at junior middleweight, which is a full weight class higher than he has ever fought at in the past. If you consider the heaviest he has even been was against Cotto at 145lbs, then this is nearly two weight classes higher. There were reports of Manny considering Yuri Foreman as a possible opponent at junior middleweight, but there is a big difference between Foreman and Mayweather. A fight against Foreman would be purely a means to get another title at a new weight class, and Foreman is considered the weakest of the junior middleweight champions.

Pacquiao and Roach will be pushing for a catchweight of probably either 144 or 145lbs, and may initially even be pushing for a lower weight than this. There probably isn't any issue of Floyd being able to make this weight, but Floyd cutting weight rather than Manny bulking up is a lot harder for Mayweather and a lot easier for Manny. Of course the opposite is true if the weight ends up being higher.

The other aspect of the weight being contested is that the insistence of a higher weight from Mayweather may just be a bargaining tool being used to leverage other benefits. Mayweather and his team might be ready for a catch weight, but are insisting on a higher weight to either get more money, or perhaps have the option of an immediate rematch should Floyd lose. There is also a rumor that Floyd wants to enter the fight after Pacquiao, which of course is usually when the champion enters, but this doesn't seem to be a big enough issue for Floyd to be really bothered about. After all what will really matter is the outcome of the bout, and who entered as the champion is irrelevant compared to who leaves as the champion.

Prediction: I suspect that the eventual weight will be 145lbs, despite whatever either fighter might want. Pacquiao would probably prefer a pound or two lighter than this, and Mayweather a pound or two over, but the real issue with weight of course is what they will weigh in the ring. Mayweather can still probably cut weight to get to 145lbs and be around 153lbs in the ring. Pacquiao will likely weigh slightly under and perhaps be 149lbs during the fight.

Source: Examiner.com