The proposed super fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao is finally complete, and will happen in Las Vegas on May 2. Now that speculation has become fact, the attention can turn to projecting what will happen inside the ring. Mayweather has opened up as the favorite in Las Vegas, but Pacquiao presents challenges he hasn't seen in the ring thus far.
Here are three keys to a Mayweather victory.
Straight Right Hand
Mayweather's unblemished record is often credited to his impenetrable shoulder roll defense, but part of what makes that defense so lethal are the counter punches that come with it. Mayweather's straight right hand is especially effective, lashing out like a rattlesnake into the face of opponents from a defensive posture.
Pacquiao is arguably the greatest offensive fighter of his generation, but Juan Manuel Marquez proved throughout four fights that he can be timed and countered. Mayweather certainly has the defensive ability to match what Marquez did, but he needs that straight right to hurt Pacquiao, or the Filipino will simply walk through his shots.
Keep The Fight In The Center Of The Ring
Pacquiao doesn't seem to have the devastating power he had in his absolute prime, but his aggression is the same, and so is his output. Mayweather once crushed his opponents' will by eluding everything they threw no matter where he was in the ring, but Father Time is starting to affect him.
Against Marcos Maidana last year, particularly in their first meeting, Mayweather struggled early with Maidana's pressure tactics. The Argentinian blitzed him with shots from every angle, finding good success early with chopping right hands. Pacquiao's style of aggression is different from Maidana's-Pacquiao relies on speed and angles rather than brute force-but the effect will be the same if Mayweather is trapped against the ropes.
This isn't to say Mayweather will be knocked out if he winds up on the ropes, but Pacquiao is accurate. The shots will score, and in close fights the aggressor often gets the nod.
Get Inside Pacquiao's Head
Mayweather has proven a master at frustrating opponents into fighting in ways they wouldn't normally. Mayweather twisted Canelo Alvarez in knots in 2013 and had him trying to outbox him when his best bet would've been imposing his size on the smaller Mayweather and trying to batter him.
He dodged Victor Ortiz's shots so many times in 2011 that Ortiz blatantly head butted him, then paid the ultimate price by getting knocked out while he apologized.
Mayweather must try to frustrate Pacquiao to the point that he gets wild and throws his game plan out the window. His trainer Freddie Roach will undoubtedly come into the ring having Pacquiao try to attack some aspect or aspects of Mayweather's defense. As skilled as Pacquiao is, he may even have success if he sticks to it.
If he's missing his mark early though, and the brash Mayweather is grinning and mugging at him, it isn't difficult to envision the Filipino's competitive spirit taking over and making him over-aggressive. This will play into Mayweather's hands, and giftwrap a decision.
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