Pacquiao-Mayweather nearly set for March 13
by Scott Christ on Dec 4, 2009 1:43 PM EST
in Boxing News Analysis
44 comments
It's all but set. From the AP:
Manny Pacquiao likely will fight Floyd Mayweather Jr. on March 13 after agreeing to a proposal from promoter Bob Arum on Friday.
Arum presented "what he thought was the best proposal he can bring" during a two-hour breakfast meeting with Pacquiao in Manila, said Michael Koncz, an adviser of the Philippine boxing idol.
"Manny has some additional requirements, requests, which Arum didn't think was a problem," Koncz said. "The requests of Manny were so realistic that Arum doesn't feel it's a problem and it's pretty much a done deal."
...
"We all believe that it will be done," Koncz said.
In an interview with GMA television, Pacquiao said, "March 13 is OK."
One step closer to the biggest, most important fight in at least 20 years being made.
If this fight has gotten made this quickly, isn't that amazing? It speaks on some levels to the amount of money at stake here that Mayweather and Pacquiao could come to terms so quickly, but before this fight was even a possibility (or anything else quite this big), both Floyd and Manny and their teams had dragged out negotiations to the point of getting ridiculous in the past.
Pacquiao would likely take a seven-week training camp, according to Koncz, but then Koncz has said lots of things in the past, so don't bet your house on it or anything. Freddie Roach will probably want at least eight weeks.
This fight is pretty much put up or shut up on both parties. Someone will win, someone will lose, and the winner is The Man in professional boxing. In a lot of ways, it's like we had a decade of boxing, and just after that decade ends, the two top fighters meet to figure out who the Fighter of the Decade really was.
Both in shape, both in their primes, both about to make a ton of money.
0 recs |
44 comments
|
Email
Print
Comments
Don from Prov
This match would be like the number one and two college football teams meeting. Hmmm. … That’s happening too. Great step up for MP, giving ups size in what should = a great fight.
I can't fucking wait
Why is a March date advantageous to Floyd?
Pacquiao would have less time off than usual. To be completely honest I think the four months will be plenty. He got banged up against Cotto, but by the time he needs to start came in mid to late January, he should be fine.
Bad Left Hook
"If bulls**t was poetry, Ray 'Boom Boom' Mancini's name would be Shakespeare." -- Dennis Rappaport
Really? He took some hooks to the head coming in, and that right hand looked like a water balloon from hitting Cotto in the elbow. Perfectly reasonable to believe he needed more healing time than he’ll have.
by Arthur from Anaheim Calling on Dec 4, 2009 2:45 PM EST up reply actions
On the election thing
I have no idea if this is true, but I heard that the reason he can still do it then notwithstanding the election is that he’s now running unopposed.
I can just imagine Bob Arum walking up to some poor politician’s door with a bag of cash asking him to drop out of the election so that there can be a superfight for the people.
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
Hehe
That probably is what happened!
"Honey i forgot to duck" - Jack Dempsey
by Drunken cutman on Dec 4, 2009 3:27 PM EST up reply actions
I’d rather have it on May 1st TBH…. but this definitely beats September.
by I Can't Feel My Face on Dec 4, 2009 2:31 PM EST reply actions
excited...
but want both of them to be at their absolute best. so if this doesnt give manny enough time to fully heal + get a full 8 weeks of training (why 7 michael koncz??), count me against it being march 13.
I think that that's overstating the advantage to Floyd
Manmy wasn’t hurt very badly or anything and has already had a little time to heal. While I’m willing to concede a slight benefit to Mayweather because of a lack of recovery time for Pacquiao I don’t see it affecting this fight in any huge way.
"Honey i forgot to duck" - Jack Dempsey
by Drunken cutman on Dec 4, 2009 3:29 PM EST up reply actions
It isn’t just Manny’s injuries. It’s how much Manny has to adjust from a tactical standpoint. As impressed as I was by the beating he administered on Cotto, I couldn’t help but see just how some of the holes in Manny’s game are exactly the type that Floyd could capitalize on. Manny was getting hit by jabs coming in partly because of Cotto’s excellent timing yes, but also because he would abandon the feints at times, the weaving. Pacman would just plod forward, following Cotto while Miguel was on his bike. Floyd can fight going backwards the whole fight. There’s much, much more, like how to counter Floyd’s sneaky right hand, how to react to whenever Floyd bends all the way down to waist level… Manny isn’t going to learn how to deal with any of that by March. While it’s true that no one fights like Manny which is why Manny is so hard to train for, the same can be said for Floyd.
I very much agree
about your tactical points. A Mayweather UD seems the most likely outcome to me whenever they fight. However I have also condidered that Floyd probably won’t hurt Manny very much and Manny’s relentless and very powerful offense will not let up if he isn’t too worried about gettingstung.(or even if he is for that matter!) This offense is going to get through even Mayweather’s defense and could mess him up.
I still Pacquiao gets decisioned though.
"Honey i forgot to duck" - Jack Dempsey
by Drunken cutman on Dec 4, 2009 3:47 PM EST up reply actions
Well I do too, to be honest. I’m a huge Pacquiao fan but I just have such a hard time envisioning a dominant Pacquiao victory. I don’t think it’s impossible, I just think Floyd brings all the right tools to beat Manny and the same can’t be said the other way around.
More than being a Pacquiao fan, however, I am a boxing fan, and I feel that this is just too important a fight to be marred by a slew of possible excuses later on. This is to settle who the best of the generation is, the true pound for pound, and if one of them shows up less than 100%, I’m not sure that settles anything.
by Areglado on Dec 4, 2009 4:28 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Not if he hits him in the ear a couple of time :)
"I guess I can’t do anything if you’re just irrational, but to point it out and move on."
- fundamentallysound
Ear injuries cost fighters fights. Take Ward-Gatti II: Ward always traded on the fact that he is double, triple tough. He had almost zero head movement, was terribly slow and was not a particularly huge puncher (not to the head anyway). It was Ward’s almost superhuman toughness that got him through fights. So what happened in the second fight of their epic trilogy? He gets nailed once in the ear by a good clean shot and the normally sturdy Ward goes tumbling into the ring post. His equilibrium was ruined. That he even finished the fight, that he got up and dared Gatti to hit him again in that round is testament to Ward’s heart. Point is, even someone with Pacquiao’s (new???) granite chin could be severely hampered by getting hit clean on his ear. Pacquiao’s new game, the foundation of which is his blazing, in and out movement would be shaken terribly if his sense of balance goes out the window due to that ear getting whacked.
If they fight
I think look for Mayweather hitting to the body a lot. A lot of analysis on this fight will probably be based on Mayweather-Judah and I think Maywetaher’s body work their was brilliant.
"Honey i forgot to duck" - Jack Dempsey
by Drunken cutman on Dec 4, 2009 4:54 PM EST up reply actions
Have to disagree. That would put Floyd right in Manny’s wheelhouse, a risk Floyd wouldn’t want to take. I expect Floyd to control the distance and pace, potshot, and cruise to an easy W. If Manny gets in on Floyd, then yes, Floyd will go to the body.
Can't argue with that to much
Sadly I won’t count on this fight being overly exciting if Floyd does simply stay away and potshot but I actually think Manny’s handspeed and footwork might not let that happen as much as it has with other fighters.
"Honey i forgot to duck" - Jack Dempsey
by Drunken cutman on Dec 4, 2009 5:13 PM EST up reply actions
I’m enjoying talking tactics with you but I’ll refrain from saying much more just in case Floyd reads this blog. Hahaha…
Hehe
Perhaps he’ll hire us as tactical advisers!
"Honey i forgot to duck" - Jack Dempsey
by Drunken cutman on Dec 4, 2009 5:32 PM EST up reply actions
Great points
but yeah that’s what I was trying to say
"I guess I can’t do anything if you’re just irrational, but to point it out and move on."
- fundamentallysound
Any time = Floyd by UD
But that’s just my opinion. I don’t think this fight is particularly close. Pac will win 4 or 5 rounds, but when Floyd needs to take control, he’ll take control. Then again, I’ve underrated Pacquiao in each of his last three fights, and I might be underrating him here as well.
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
Underrating him, but only a little. I’ve always thought Floyd is a terrible, terrible match up for Manny. It’s that damned lead right hand. Even if the fight was to take place in September, I still predict Floyd by UD, but in a less dominant fashion. In other words, I’d give Manny a better shot.
I’d be interested in a poll to see how many of us would prefer March to September, or any other date for that matter.
I prefer March because I’m going on vacation in September and don’t want to be stuck in an Orlando bar with a bunch of hoopleheads trying to watch the fight.
Bad Left Hook
"If bulls**t was poetry, Ray 'Boom Boom' Mancini's name would be Shakespeare." -- Dennis Rappaport
I prefer March because patience is far from my greatest virtue
"Honey i forgot to duck" - Jack Dempsey
by Drunken cutman on Dec 4, 2009 3:50 PM EST up reply actions
I'll probably be in Orlando sometime in Sept.
You could be in a bar with me…..yeah not sure I would want that either…
I'd prefer April
Because I’m supposed to be in town the 3rd week on business. I know I probably couldn’t get tickets but I would just love to be in the atmosphere around fight time.
But to answer your question, I’d say March.
I think it’s going to be nip/tuck for the first 6 rounds. The key for Floyd I think is the uppercut. Manny’s stature causes him to reach and he sometimes does it with his head down. Of course it’s a double-edge sword cause if you miss the uppercut, then you are vulnerable. But I can see the fight changing with PBF landing a couple late.
Every fighter has a game plan until he get's punched in the mouth.
-Mike
I prefer March 13
Because my buddies and I were already planning on being in Vegas that weekend to celebrate my buddy getting back from his Middle East deployment, and if that is where the fight ends up happening, it will make for a pretty epic welcome back weekend, imo.
Of course, its a strictly selfish reason!
Sometimes the impossible can become possible if you're AWESOME!
by ZeroIndulgence on Dec 4, 2009 4:57 PM EST up reply actions
I don’t think it’s that much of an advantage.
The only real significant injury Pac took from Cotto was the injury to his ear. Apparently Cotto burst his ear drum or something to that effect. He’ll need surgery for that but he should be okay by March.
I’m still not sure why they are putting this on so soon I can understand May was out of the question but 4 months away is going to make it difficult to really promote properly. I guess a tour is out of the question and they are going to have to put together the 24/7 episodes pretty fast too if there are 5 this time.
by MannyPacquiao on Dec 5, 2009 11:20 AM EST up reply actions
When the smoke clears...
This will be target practice for Mayweather. Mayweather in 12 rounds . I got Manny getting frustrated in the 7th round.
The tactical battle
seems to bode well for Mayweather in this match-up, and it doesn’t hurt that he’s the bigger man. MP will have to impose his will through speed, power, a relentless attack, and his unreal punching angles to win, but I’ve never seen Floyd rattled or taken out of his game. The quick rights are going to be a load for Manny. IF anyone can be prepared for what Floyd brings, it might be a well focused MP. Manny has a way of making believers out of all of us—Or maybe that was death or war.
I think March is ok. Manny is a fittness freak so that wont be a problem. Floyd isnt known for banging his opponents around so it wont be like that will be much of a factor. Manny wasn’t cut so no scar tissue to be re opened. From a tactical stand point Freddie would of worked on a game plan long time ago so it would be just working on it in the gym. Manny has proven he can learn new skills in training camp but i dont see how any longer time will make him better suited for Mayweather. He has stuggled wih counter punchers before and i dont think that will change to much.
All that said im actualy going for Pac in this one. He can make Floyd think not just react. In the early parts of the Zab fight Mayweather wasn’t to great. I think Manny can do what Zab was and use his speed, angles and throwing punches from that lefty stance. I can also see Floyd standing back and throwing fast accurate pop shots and controlling distance. Both will have there moments
"Good, so it can’t go any deeper." - Arturo Gatti after being told he was cut to the bone
How about reasons?
"Honey i forgot to duck" - Jack Dempsey
by Drunken cutman on Dec 5, 2009 4:53 AM EST up reply actions
Duran W15 Leonard - revisited.
Floyd’s scientific boxing supremacy is undeniable, guy’s a freak, but Manny has that Duran x-factor. The same primal aggression and stamina fueled attack that’s been honed into a balanced weapon, as evident against Cotto. Roach’s fine tuning has produced the fighter to beat Mayweather just as Duran outfought Leonard in Montreal. Floyd will be forced into that kinda fight. Pacquiao SD.
"Anytime you go thirty rounds with a guy, try to kill each other, and have the utmost respect for each other, no one understands that, but guys who have been to war understand it." - Micky Ward on Arturo Gatti.
Hey Don! Nice breakdown mate.
"Anytime you go thirty rounds with a guy, try to kill each other, and have the utmost respect for each other, no one understands that, but guys who have been to war understand it." - Micky Ward on Arturo Gatti.
Leaning towards Pac
Looking forward to the fight: the best offensive boxer (Pacquiao) vs the best defensive pugilist (Mayweather).
Two years ago, i would favor Mayweather with a UD victory . . however, now, with momentum on Pac’s side (KO or TKOs in his last 4 fights against bigger opponents), i now look forward to him winning either by split decision or by KO.
Keys will be: (1)Power shots from awkward angles (not the straight line shots that defensive specialists pick on) . . both right and left hand i.e. Mayweather has never been dazed with his excellent defense, however, it only takes a couple of good power shots (Pac will get his moments) and we may finally know the extent of Floyd’s brilliance or his downfall; (2) Pac Monster has already been in wars that will serve him well when the going gets tough e.g. future hall of famers Barrera, Marquez, Morales, Cotto (including common opponents Hatton and Oscar . . both of which were blasted by Pac! Interestingly, Hatton gave a couple of difficult rounds against Mayweather and past-prime Oscar almost having a win. Granted that Mayweather easily beat Marquez – the betting odds were correct “4:1 favorite” from the slow moving/bulk up Mexican fighter who was unsuccessful moving up two weight classes); (3) Mayweather camp potentially under-estimate the Pac-man (e.g. one dimensional fighter, no skills, has been beaten/ko’d, can be cut, pick your potential excuses, etc) – they will get a suprise. The hubris of "0″ defeat may prove an illusion. Just like we see in basketball, football, some teams go “0 losses” during elimination and then meeting up with a team with a few defeats early on but won the last 4 games. “Boom” – the team with immaculate record during elimination got beat on the play-offs or finals against a hungry/focused/determined foe with momentum on his side.
Its good to have strong views from either side. That will ensure this fight will be a tremendous commercial success.
Will Mayweather’s defensive wizardry be too much for the Pac Man? Will Floyd be able to glide/move, use effectively his height/reach advantage and hit his accurate pot shots all night? or Will Pac Monster and his current momentum (with the eye for history) be the blitzkreig that smashes the aura of Floyd’s invincibility? and will Pac with his power shots in awkward angles together with right timing get to sneak past Money may’s defense and create a KO? That will be answered, hopefully (i.e. since this fight has not yet been finalized) May 13th! Lets get this on . .
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
Related FanPosts on Bad Left Hook
Related FanShots on Bad Left Hook
!["I don't want to discuss anything about [the meeting with Jerry Jones] until after the Margarito thing in California. And then we'll announce the venue and the press conference schedule. I don't want to disrespect anybody or anything. California is going to decide on Wednesday and then whichever way California decides, various state commissions will decide whichever way they think is best."
--Bob Arum (Robert Morales, BoxingScene.com)
(Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)](http://cdn0.sbnation.com/fan_shot_images/138077/97670331_small.jpg)
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Certain photos copyright © 2010 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
