The Dream Fight between Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao

           
       After Manny Pacquiao bounced back from his devastating KO loss with a big win over Brandon Rios, interest for a Pacquiao/ Mayweather fight has resurfaced. Not too long ago, before Manny lost a controversial decision loss to Timothy Bradley and before a vicious KO loss to Juan Manual Marquez, fight fans debated who would win between the two best pound for pound fighters in the world. At the time both fighters were in their prime, beating multiple champions in multiple weightclasses and both seemed unbeatable. They both share victories over Juan Manual Marquez, Ricky Hatton, Shane Mosley, Miguel Cotto, and Oscar De La Hoya who are all future Hall Of Famers.

Fighters that both fighters have beat	Floyd “Money” Mayweather	Manny “Pac-Man” Pacquiao
Juan Manual Marquez	2009- 12 round decision (not close)	2004- draw, 2008, 2011- 12 round decisions, and 2012- KO loss  (3 fights were very close)
Ricky Hatton	2007- TKO round 10	2009- KO round 2
Shane Mosley	2010- 12 round decision	2011- 12 round decision
Miguel Cotto	2012- 12 round decision	2009- TKO round 12
Oscar De La Hoya	2007- 12 round decision	2008- TKO round 8

Floyd Mayweather- Greatest Hits 

      
      FloydMayweather is 36 years-old with an undefeated record of 45-0 (26 KO). Floyd’s last fight was a dominant decision win over a younger, stronger Canelo Alvarez. Floyd has never lost a fight, and arguably only a handful of rounds. Mayweather’s best weapons are his lightning fast reflexes, counterpunching ability, impenetrable defense and his boxing IQ. Nobody executes and changes game plans on they fly like Floyd Mayweather. Floyd’s defense is probably the best boxing has ever seen, he is rarely hit clean with his signature shoulder roll defense and his cat like reflexes keeps opponents honest with his counterpunching.

                     MannyPacquiao is 34 years-old who boasts a record of 55-5(38 KO). Manny’s best weapon is his machine gun like combinations that come in all angles. His combination of power, speed and footwork allows Manny to punish opponents while avoiding too much punishment himself. What really sets Manny apart from other fighters is his superior hand speed, his ability to throw punches in bunches at awkward angles are nearly impossible to defend.

Manny Pacquiao's Greatest Hits

Attribute	Floyd “Money” Mayweather	Manny “Pac-Man” Pacquiao
Speed	Too close to call, Floyd’s speed is displayed through his counterpunching and Manny’s speed is displayed through his combination punching
Power		X
Combination punching		X
Counterpunching	X
Defense	X
Boxing IQ	X
Footwork	X
Chin	Tough call because Floyd doesn’t get hit enough, but has displayed a durable chin against Mosley and Cotto

              

               So who would win in a Mayweather vs. Pacquioa fight? Floyd is this era’s best defensive fighter, and Manny is this era’s best offensive fighter. Will Floyd counter and pot shot Manny to victory or will Manny overwhelm Floyd with his high work rate and combination punching? A few years ago, this debate was a lot tougher to analyze because both fighters seemed unbeatable and both were in their prime. Both fighters are still elite fighters, making good fighters look very average, even though both fighters have aged and may have lost a step. Floyd is a less mobile fighter, and Manny may have lost a bit of his explosiveness and his killer instinct seems less like a savage. In most sports, defense wins championships and Floyd is a defensive genius. At this point of their careers, Floyd should win a 12 round decision.

               Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao is a dream fight that fight fans have been craving for years. Both fighters have been accused of ducking each other, and previous contract negotiations have always crumbled. A cold war between TopRank Promotions (Pacquiao’s promoter) and GoldenBoy promotions (Mayweather’s promoter) has made this fight impossible in the past, but with both fighters likely retiring in the next 2 years, it makes sense for both parties to cash out before both fighters retire. This fight would still be the biggest money grossing fight in history, even though 3 years ago would have been the ideal date. Both fighters believe that they would win, both fighters know this fight will enhance their legacy and there is too much money to be made from this fight. Unless some unforeseen events occur, this fight should happen.