LOTIERZO: Floyd Will Beat Pacquiao by a Comfortable Margin

With The Fight being announced, here’s what I believe we know Pacquiao must have agreed to, to Team Mayweather’s demands …maybe Floyd will allow Manny to pick his own trunks to wear…and terms of the fight. Otherwise there’d be no fight. And if you doubt that, you haven’t been astutely paying attention to how Mayweather plays the game. However, Mayweather’s entire career and legacy rest on the outcome, especially if he loses. Floyd knows he must beat Pacquiao because it’s the only fight boxing fans will remember of his for generations to come. His 47 career victories prior to fighting Pacquiao will be all but forgotten if he loses fight 48 to his only career rival, Manny Pacquiao.

Mayweather shrewdly waited Pacquiao out for the last five years because he knew as long as he (Floyd) didn’t lose, the fight would always be there. Since 2010, Pacquiao has lost to Timothy Bradley and was knocked cold by Juan Manuel Marquez back in December of 2012. Floyd was always sure that Manny would eventually slow down (because of his usually all-out attack style) and become more hittable, and that’s exactly what has happened. Mayweather never feared that he couldn’t beat Pacquiao, but he did harbor some reservation. With the fight being on I’d say it’s safe to say Floyd no longer thinks he can beat Manny – he knows it! And you better believe that’s why the fight is happening. Simply because Mayweather is convinced it’s now safe to go through with it, there’s nothing to chance.

For the past five years it’s been noted in this space that the fight would definitely happen, and when it does it’ll mostly be because Mayweather, who is a diabolical negotiator, will have received everything that he demanded in order for him to enter the ring with any advantage he can get (gloves, weight, ring size, false PED demands etc). And for that reason alone you’ve got to be crazy if you think Pacquiao, outside of a lottery punch, will win. And that is not going to happen, not in this fight.

Some will suggest that Floyd’s legs are gone and he’ll be easier for Manny to hunt and track down. And to that I say, you must not have watched his recent fights with Miguel Cotto and Canelo Alvarez all that closely, both of whom are bigger and physically stronger than Pacquiao. Mayweather didn’t use his legs and move away from them because he chose not to. He stood his ground and picked them apart on the way in, then when he wanted to, stayed in the corner and/or against the ropes and fought them evenly and in some instances beat them both at their own game.

Pacquiao, 36, is too easy to hit, and Mayweather (who will be 38 on fight night) is the last fighter in the world you want to face when that is your Achilles heel. Floyd’s straight and accurate one-twos will disrupt Manny’s aggression to the point that some will think he’s throwing the fight because he’s not pursuing Floyd as if he were a wounded animal. But the reality will be he can’t get to him, at least not enough to dominate any of the meaningful exchanges. Once Pacquiao’s punch out-put and effectiveness are reduced, then what? Manny hasn’t knocked out a single fighter since late 2009, and everyone knows Mayweather takes a terrific shot to the head and body, complemented by his ability to recuperate extremely fast.

Actually, Marcos Maidana’s crude aggression will prove to have been a bigger style conundrum for Mayweather than the success Pacquiao’s attack in spurts and waves will prove to be. And those who think Pacquiao has the more judge-friendly style will be profoundly disappointed when they see before their eyes that Pacquiao is getting hit too much to get off or on track……because Mayweather is doing just enough leading to where he’s setting Manny up for the clean counters, further neutralizing Manny’s attack.

Between now and the time Floyd and Manny meet in the ring, there will be a plethora of words spoken and articles written by so-called boxing gurus who think they have the handle on each fighters’ glove placement or foot spacing. Oh they’ll sound smart and convincing to those who don’t know or who are unsure of themselves. However, what they’ll be spewing is gibberish to try and convince you that they know more than everyone else, and some will be fooled. Such is life.

Let me spare you the time and trouble. Floyd Mayweather has the perfect body build and size, style, durability, boxing IQ and mentality to beat Manny Pacquiao on May 2nd 2015. And he will! Mayweather will beat Pacquiao by a comfortable margin on the scorecards and will control the action most of the way. I’m not sure I’d be totally shocked if Mayweather stopped Pacquiao, and I doubt Manny will be Floyd’s toughest fight.

The only way this fight can mean anything historically is if one of two things happens: if somehow Pacquiao wins (which he won’t) or if he engages in a kamikaze attack that allows Mayweather to be the beneficiary, in that it becomes an exciting fight that Floyd wins. There’s almost no chance of that happening either.

Frank Lotierzo can be contacted at GlovedFist@Gmail.com

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