Whether Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao fight on May 2 or not, debate will always rage on about which fighter would’ve been victorious in their primes. Mayweather is currently installed as a favorite, largely because of back-to-back losses suffered by Pacquiao in 2012 and 2013, as well as zero knockout victories since 2009.
ESNews caught up with Golden Boy president Oscar De La Hoya, who has fought and lost to both men, and he gave his thoughts on how the proposed super fight will turn out in May if it’s made, as well as how it would’ve gone in the past.
“I’m crossing my fingers that it happens, because it’ll be great for boxing and great for the sport,” De La Hoya said. He’s also gone as far as saying he will push back a fight for Canelo Alvarez, who is scheduled to fight James Kirkland on May 2, out of respect for fans who have begged for the super fight.
“I would have liked to have seen that fight five years ago where most likely Pacquiao would have demolished Floyd Mayweather. I think the fact that Manny Pacquiao has been in more wars than Floyd Mayweather because obviously we know that his [Mayweather] style is more of a running, boxing style and he doesn’t get hit. Manny Pacquiao has been in a lot of wars, and it’s a given that he’s had a lot of great fights inside the ring. I think Floyd Mayweather will have an advantage over Manny because of the wear and tear.”
Pacquiao has certainly been in more brutal fights than Mayweather, specifically his four wars with Juan Manuel Marquez, the fourth of which saw Pacquiao knocked out cold.
Mayweather hasn’t been hit nearly as much, but his reflexes looked a hair slower in his first fight with Marcos Maidana in May 2014. He was caught with a few overhand rights, and in their second meeting Mayweather was more crisp, but still ate a handful of hard punches.
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