Manny Pacquiao Must Showcase More Aggressive Side Against Floyd Mayweather

Manny Pacquiao will find himself in uncharted waters when he goes toe-to-toe with Floyd Mayweather. For once in his life, the prized fighter enters as the underdog.

According to Odds Shark, the undefeated Mayweather carries 10-21 odds of winning as of Monday morning. Although the line continues to fluctuate, as captured by SportsCenter's Twitter account, Mayweather remains the favorite:

Pacquiao, who has made a living outshining opponents who can't match him through 12 rounds, can't afford to play the patient strategist against a fellow ring general. An aggressive Pacquiao must emerge between the ropes at Las Vegas' MGM Grand Garden Arena.

Leading up to the dream bout, he sounds ready to unleash fury on his foe. At an open training session, Pacquiao revealed a focused, intense mindset unseen before his most recent fights.

"What I feel right now is motivation, inspiration and determination," Pacquiao said, according to BBC Sport. "The killer instinct is there. I love it."

Whenever the public must wait for a highly anticipated event, narratives fill the media landscape. Pacquiao trainer Freddie Roach did the heavy lifting by broadcasting his client's hatred of Mayweather.

Roach told Martin Rodgers of USA Today that Pacquiao detests Mayweather due to his history of domestic violence. 

"For the first time in my life with Manny Pacquiao, this is the first fighter he hasn't liked," Roach said. "I can tell."

Pacquiao's new speed bag, of which Fox Sports' Patrick O'Neal provided a photo, allows him to channel that anger: 

Helping Mayweather fill his pockets won't right his actions. But boxing remains an animalistic sport founded on violence, which explains why Roach has cited Mayweather's heinous acts to create a "good against evil" (his words to Rodgers) dynamic.

Roach also knows the 36-year-old Pacquiao must box ruthlessly to end Mayweather's 47-0 run. 

Pacquiao can't dominate Mayweather like Brandon Rios, Timothy Bradley or Chris Algieri. After dictating those last three victories via unanimous decision, he now faces someone with the endurance, speed and defensive prowess to successfully go the distance.

When the two titans meet in Las Vegas on May 2, neither will have secured a knockout victory in three years. For Pacquiao, that drought extends to Nov. 14, 2009, when he cemented a final-round technical knockout over Miguel Cotto.

Both competitors will be eager to change that during this battle for boxing supremacy. While less heat has surfaced from Mayweather's side, Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe told RingTV.com's Andreas Hale that Money will look to make a statement.

"Floyd Mayweather is going to try to take Manny Pacquiao’s head off, and you can count on that happening," Ellerbe said. "He’s looking to finish him off and I strongly believe that will happen."

Then again, promoters promote, and buyers would rather envision a hard-hitting brawl than a tactical chess game. As the best defender in the world, Mayweather won't feel much pressure to follow through on Ellerbe's harbinger.

For Pacquiao, landing some big blows will be vital to orchestrate an upset. 

Once a knockout specialist, Pacquiao transitioned into a finesse fighter, employing a conservative approach after dropping consecutive bouts. Although he doesn't need to knock Mayweather out, he's less likely to outlast his swifter opponent through a dozen rounds.

Rather than winning a war of attrition, Pac-Man needs to come out swinging and seize control during the opening minutes. Once Mayweather finds a groove, he'll cruise to yet another win.