Pacquiao Watch: Ways Mayweather will defeat Pacquiao

Edwin Espejo
Location: General Santos City, Philippines

He ain’t big enough. He ain’t strong enough. He ain’t fast enough.

Or so thinks Floyd Mayweather Jr of Filipino boxing hero Manny Pacquiao.

He said he has the recipe to defeat Manny Pacquiao and there is no way he will lose to the Filipino whirlwind of a lefty.

I would have believed in him had Floyd and Manny met four or five years ago, granting they were fighting then at the same weight class.

A Manny Pacquiao who charges in reckless abandon and who fell in love with his left straight would have been easy prey for the sweet counterpunching Mayweather in the manner he was outpointed and outfought by Erik Morales in their first encounter.

But Manny has improved a lot and has gown to become a full-fledged welterweight and a complete boxer.

He no longer just flails his punches from long distances. He has developed short, crisp and still powerful combinations at more unpredictable angles that Floyd will find not to his liking.

While Manny has not faced a boxer as slick as Floyd, the American brash talker has neither encountered a powerful and aggressive lefty like Manny.

So whatever advantages their styles have for both fighters, these are cancelled out by their own strengths and weaknesses.

It will boils down to style and tempo and the ability to inflict more damage.

Floyd can roll his shoulder in defense but against Manny he will find that the hooks, crosses, straights and uppercuts will not come at predictable angles the way most orthodox boxers throw them.

And he will find that the punches from Manny are no taps and slaps.

The right hook that floored Ricky Hatton the first time around was thrown while Manny’s body was perpendicular with that of the Englishman. It traveled no more than 24 inches.

The uppercut that knocked down Miguel Angel Cotto the second time is still being debated if it was a left straight or a left hook.

It was unleashed from in front of the hips and at an angle nobody expected.

Those unorthodox and unpredictable punches will have Mayweather on the watch for the whole match and it could derail his entire fight plan, especially when one good punch from Manny hits the target.

Mayweather will also find out that Manny is not an easy knockdown victim.

Nobody has floored Manny Pacquiao ever since he demolished Marco Antonio Barrera in 2003.

The only two ways Mayweather will defeat Manny is to force the Filipino fighter to fight they way he did against Erik Morales and for Manny to again fall in love with his left straights.

Suffice to say, the only way for Mayweather to win is for Manny to lose this fight.

Tall order!

Source: asiancorrespondent.com