Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Pacquiao vs. Mayweather: Battle of Minds



If Floyd Mayweather Jr. thinks it’s stupid for Manny Pacquiao to ignore a sure $25 million in exchange for a “Mayweather Commission”-regulated drug test, then it is equally foolish for him to ignore $25 million, now probably $40 million, in guaranteed prize money that is there for the taking whoever wins the fight.

Well, this possibility that almost became a reality not too long ago, will have to take the backseat because Pacquiao fought another fighter in Joshua Clottey and won last March 14, while Mayweather challenges WBA welterweight champion Shane Mosley on May 2.

While everyone in the boxing world applauded the victory of the world’s greatest boxer “pound for pound,” Mayweather dismissed the win as one that exposed Pacquiao’s defensive flaws. “You can have all the offense ability in the world, but with no defense, you’re not going to last long against a good counter puncher such as me," the cocky former “pound-for-pound” king crowed, tik-tila-ok!

Expect the crowing to grow louder if he beats Mosley, the worthy third man in the “hate” triangle started by Mayweather. As far as promoters and fight fans are concerned, the best scenario is for Mayweather to defeat Mosley. This will pave the way to the staging of the world’s biggest and richest boxing match ever.

In such a scenario, Mayweather may have the edge over Pacquiao in terms of bargaining power. Mosley has certainly better credentials than Clottey, whose flawed idea of honor and boxing is to cover his body and head with his arms to avoid being knocked out.

Mayweather will certainly be using the same defensive tactics, like he always did, against Mosley and, maybe, against Pacquiao. If and when he does it against Mosley, then Mayweather exposes his own offensive flaws under the watchful eyes of Pacquiao and his master trainer Freddie Roach.