In the rush of accusations and hard talk seen after the conclusion of Mayweather vs. Ortiz, all eyes seem to be looking forward to what the sport of boxing hopes will come to pass: the mega-bout between Mayweather and Pacquiao.
Mayweather, when finally pushed into a corner in the post fight press conference and asked point-blank what it would take to get him in a ring with Pacquiao, said “If you think you’re the best, take the test.”
For his part, Manny Pacquiao has agreed to unlimited testing. The only real sticking point on the issue is who handles the results of the tests, some of which will be done in the Philippines, where Pacquiao does a portion of his training.
Of course, there will be other hurdles to overcome. For example, Mayweather has apparently come to the conclusion that he is so powerful that he can even tell HBO which commentators to fire. Thus, he will no doubt find other reasons to postpone a fight with Pacquiao, and honestly, it is in his own best interests to do so. It frustrates his opponent and his camp, and it allows him to amuse himself at the expense of the sport, and it is clear that Mayweather thinks the sport is here to serve him, not vice versa.
Still, ultimately, it is the only fight that honestly matters for each of them. We know it, and they know it. Supporters of both fighters clock countless hours in debate as to why one will topple the other, and that interest shows no signs of ebbing.
One begins to wonder who will win such a fight. Of course, many prognosticators simply side with popular opinion, and that seems to favor Pacquiao. But once two fighters get into the ring, everyone is quickly reminded that boxing is not a popularity contest. Sure, popularity comes into play, just ask Oscar De La Hoya. But there is more to it than that. If you can’t fight, you are going to become popular for getting blown out of the water in highlight reel fashion. Fighters like De La Hoya, Leonard, Ali and others knew that being popular was only one part of the equation, and the arithmetic of boxing has no mercy. All of those mentioned fighters could fight at the highest level, and so can Mayweather and Pacquiao.
So, who will win this contest, should it come to pass? As usual, we can find many of the answers in their combative history. Both men have had many high profile fights against dangerous opponents, but for the sake of argument, let’s look at three telling fights from each of their stellar careers.
Mayweather vs. Coralles
It was supposed to be the toughest fight of Mayweather’s career. Coralles was taller, had the longer reach, knock out power, and was gritty as hell. Many believed that Mayweather was going to find himself on the short end of the stick given all those factors.
Mayweather was happy to prove them wrong. And he proved it with a vengeance.
Mayweather utilized excellent footwork, many times leaving Coralles looking like his feet were nailed to the floor. He also used feints and his blinding speed to catch Coralles unaware or in transition, knocking the bigger man down five times in the fight. It was a shocking display of defense, skill and speed, and by the time the bout ended via TKO, after the final knock down, no one could doubt who the best in the Super Featherweight division was. It was a testimony to just how cool under fire Mayweather could be, and his desire to be great. His performance answered many questions that night, and set the stage for a brilliant career. No one had ever made Coralles look that bad and that outclassed before, and none would do it after, but on that night, Mayweather taught a master class to Coralles, one that “The Professor”, Azumah Nelson, would have been proud of.
Mayweather vs. Gatti
By facing Arturo Gatti, many expected Mayweather to win, but not many expected him to be so cold and cruel.
They should have had some idea, given the amount of trash talk Mayweather heaped upon the career of Gatti, one of the most popular fighters in the world, thanks to countless wars in the ring. Gatti was an established warrior, and Mayweather promised to “erase” him from the mind of the public, calling him nothing more than a “club” level fighter.
By the end of the 6th round, Mayweather had fulfilled every promise he had made pre-fight, in brutal fashion. I have witnessed many fast fisted fighters, and of all those I have seen, only Roy Jones Jr., Meldrick Taylor and Ray Leonard have shown the same kind of speed that Mayweather displayed against Gatti. Manny Pacquiao is indeed a fast puncher, but not this fast.
Mayweather delivered what I consider to be the perfect performance: a seamless and beautiful mix of defense and offense. His feints were incredible, his punch combinations were shockingly fast and accurate, his defense flawless, and his efficiency a marvel to behold. He was landing on Gatti at will, pounding his body and head with massive combinations that saw almost every single punch landing with one hundred percent accuracy. Whenever Gatti tried to mount an attack, he was caught with text-book counter punching, and whenever he tried to cover up, he was pounded ruthlessly and easily. To be blunt, he was reduced to nothing more than a punching bag on media day. No one had made the offensive minded Gatti spend so much time playing defense, and no one had put such a harsh spotlight on the holes in that defense, but on that night, we saw Mayweather expose the flaws in Gatti’s game. When Gatti covered up his head and turned to his side, Mayweather attacked his short ribs and then flowed back upstairs and attacked his head. When Gatti tried to move back, Mayweather ripped him with hooks to the jaw. When Gatti stood still, Mayweather was all over him. The final round, round 6, was perhaps the most picture perfect display of speed, accuracy and power Mayweather has ever given us. So much so that ringside commentator Jim Lampley said: “It’s getting hard to watch.”
When the end finally came, the pro-Gatti crowd was silent, humbled by the symphony of destruction that had been conducted and played by Mayweather, and it had been a first chair performance, the kind you would expect from a virtuoso.
Mayweather vs. Judah
Many have wondered how Mayweather would handle himself in a messy fight, including myself. When he stepped into the ring to face Zab Judah, we saw some of those questions answered.
Mayweather lost the first few rounds due to Judah’s speed and ability to throw accurate punches in unorthodox fashion. He was able to hit Mayweather square in the face, knocking him against the ropes and then pounding away to his body and head.
But after a short while, Mayweather found his rhythm, and began to mount his own offense. He was able to adjust his game in mid-fight, and his highly touted defensive skills began to pay off. He was able to beat Judah to the punch, playing the role of sniper to Judah’s reckless berserker, and down the stretch, Mayweather had a comfortable lead on all cards.
Then, Judah snapped. He landed a brutal intentional low blow on Mayweather, and then began to pound on the back of Mayweather’s head and neck. A melee occurred when both corners spilled into the ring, but eventually order was restored, and the fight resumed.
Mayweather had every reason to be shy about fighting on, given the fact that Judah had proven many times in his career that he could employ dirty tactics, but instead he insisted that he wanted to fight on. Instead of jumping out of the deep end of that dirty pool, he dived right back in and went for a swim.
The final rounds saw Mayweather land at a slightly diminished rate, taking round 11 to regain his legs and clear his head, then pushing on in round 12, landing punches. Then, he did the most telling thing: in the final minute, he lay against the ropes, waving Judah in and smiling pretty the whole time. Judah tried to storm for the knock out, but Mayweather would have none of it, taking the final round and the fight.
It was not a pretty fight for the pretty boy, but it did prove that he is not one to abandon a game plan or panic, even when hit with brutal cheap shots to the cup and blatant rabbit punches to the back of the head. He keeps his cool, and instead of running to the reckless, he returns to the tools that have made him such a great fighter.
Pacquiao vs. Marquez II
One of the most frustrating problems for recent Pacquiao opponents has been how to be defensively successful and how to counter punch the number one ranked pound-for-pound fighter. Pacquiao has turned into an accurate offensive whirlwind thanks to the training of Freddy Roach, who has honed his timing and punching to a needle-fine degree.
Marquez didn’t seem to have many of the same problems when facing Pacquiao.
In both fights with Pacquiao, Marquez was able to catch Pacquiao both coming in and at long range. Marquez is a slick boxer who is not afraid of being hit, and he can be very unpredictable, and that gave Pacquiao fits when they fought.
In their second fight, the world saw Pacquiao leaving with the short end of the stick in many of their most heated exchanges. Granted, Pacquiao was able to land some seriously heavy leather, and he did score well, as evidenced by his flooring of Marquez in round 3, but still Marquez attacked. By the time the bell brought the final round to a close, many thought Marquez had won the bout with his constant pressure.
Pacquiao was awarded the split-decision, and himself seemed shocked. But that is not the real story. Why this fight is important to note is simply as a three-point bench mark of sorts. On that night, against the familiar opponent, Pacquiao still found himself getting hit in the same ways as he had in their first fight, but at a higher degree. Secondly, since that time, we have not seen Pacquiao contested in any way while he marched up the weight classes. He seems to have learned from those past mistakes, becoming a much more complete fighter. The third point is a simple one: even when facing a fighter with a high degree of skill, Pacquiao has the kind of offense that allows him to land, and land well. Given that he seems to be growing stronger as he moves up in weight, that could spell trouble for Mayweather if Pacquiao acquires a favorable range and rhythm.
Still, one has to wonder if Mayweather can enjoy the same kind of success that Marquez had when it comes long range and counter punching. Mayweather is faster than Marquez and more skilled in those areas that Pacquiao found so challenging. The third fight between Marquez and Pacquiao should answer many of those questions.
Pacquiao vs. De La Hoya
Much like Mayweather vs. Gatti, Pacquiao vs. De La Hoya was a one sided beat down. Unlike Mayweather vs. Gatti, De La Hoya was far more skilled and considerably bigger than Pacquiao.
It was supposed to be a close fight, but it ended up being anything but that. Pacquiao was in perfect form and seemed to be able to land against De La Hoya at will, especially with his straight left, the main tool for a southpaw fighter. Pacquiao was able to slide that straight left between De La Hoya’s gloves all night long, knocking his head back and swelling his face. Pacquiao also seemed to be able to nullify De La Hoya’s vaunted jab by using a lot of head movement and fast counters.
When De La Hoya managed to get Pacquiao against the ropes, he was left swinging at empty air as Pacquiao was quick to use his own improved defense, bobbing and weaving and circling away on fleet feet, and then opening up on “The Golden Boy” as soon as he turned around.
At the end of the day, Pacquiao was taking De La Hoya to the cleaners with superior speed, movement, and a mixed back of punches: straight lefts, uppercuts, right hooks, and heavy body shots. It may not have been as beautiful as Mayweather’s domination of Gatti, but it was every bit as damaging, perhaps more so. De La Hoya took a tremendous pounding in the fight, which only lasted eight rounds, and retired after the fight at age 35.
Granted, De La Hoya was in the twilight of a great career, fighting a younger, hungry fighter, but that should not take away from Pacquiao’s dominance in this fight. He used to be a one dimensional fighter, but he showed against De La Hoya that he had the whole package: speed, power, poise, footwork, and a variety of punches at his disposal¾punches he could use with devastating effect. The Pacquiao who pounded De La Hoya into retirement was the best version available, and he has only gotten better since then.
When looking at this fight, it is interesting that just a little over a year earlier, De La Hoya lost a split decision to Mayweather in a fight where he was never really hurt. Against Pacquiao, he was not able to win even a round and took a beating in the process.
Pacquiao vs. Cotto
Stepping up in weight again, many experts who had been watching Pacquiao climb his way to the record books felt this would indeed be the fight that, if he were to win, would prove he was a once in a generation, or many generations, kind of fighter.
Cotto was a big fighter for the division, with no shortage of power and skill, and many thought he would represent the glass ceiling in Pacquiao’s rise through the weight classes.
Sadly, for Cotto, it was just the opposite.
Both fighters went at each other in the early rounds, and both enjoyed moments of success, but after it became clear that Pacquiao could handle the power of Cotto, absorbing some punishment along the ropes, things began to change.
Pacquiao dropped Cotto in the 3rd round, but it almost seemed like a flash knock down. Then, late in round 4, Pacquiao blasted Cotto off his feet again, and that was when the Puerto Rican star was in trouble.
The following rounds saw Pacquiao raking Cotto with just about every punch in the book, many in combinations. Cotto was a game fighter, but with his face a bloody mess, his corner looked to be trying to stop the fight. Cotto would have none of that, and went out for round 12. Once again, it was more of the same, as Pacquiao tore into Cotto, finishing the fight via TKO in the final frame.
Cotto, having been in the ring instead of outside of it, gave his assessment of the fight and his opponent: “I didn’t know from where the punches were coming. Manny Pacquiao is one of the best boxers I ever fought.”
This fight was another true showcase of the skill and style of Pacquiao, and proved that he can be the better man in the ring, even when he comes in smaller. His style seems tailored to beat bigger men, with speed, movement, and surprising power. Pacquiao is shockingly good at the higher weights, and his conditioning is not suspect.
Conclusion
When looking at these fights, you can see why the experts are salivating at the thought of these two greats meeting in the ring.
Both men are very fast, but I would give a slight edge in speed to Mayweather. They are both in excellent condition, and I don’t see either one getting tired in a 12 round bout. They are also highly skilled and use excellent footwork, constantly using angles and moving in and out.
Both men are powerful, but in viewing their careers, it is clear that Pacquiao has an edge in power. When they have fought common opponents (De La Hoya and Hatton), Mayweather has not hurt them like Pacquiao has.
With so many intangibles, it boils down to style. The simple truth is that Mayweather is a better defensive fighter than Pacquiao is an offensive fighter. That may seem like a drastic over-simplification of all things to be considered, but when two fighters have so many skills, and are close to even in so many areas, that is when styles seem to come into play the most.
Provided that Mayweather does not show his age or ring rust, I feel he would earn a decision over Pacquiao on all three cards. It would be a dramatic fight that saw him tested, saw him rise to the occasion, and then far above it.
