Manny Pacquiao's Unique Ferocity Will See Pac-Man Beat Floyd Mayweather

Breaching the Floyd Mayweather defence is a quandary that a plethora of fighters have tried to conquer unsuccessfully down the years. But Manny Pacquiao has the appropriate marriage of ferocity and finesse to finally topple the undefeated American.

From the opening bell on May 2 at the MGM Grand, it’s Pacquaio who must begin the fight sharpest and lay early foundations to trouble his impeccable opponent. And if every other fight in his career is a blueprint to go off, you suspect that’s exactly what Pac-Man will do.

Allowing Mayweather to insouciantly ease himself into the rhythm of this bout won’t end well for Manny. Floyd is a master at picking holes in a tiring defensive armoury, and if he gets to those middle rounds unscathed, the second Pacquaio takes his foot off the gas by even a smidgen, the fight will quickly swing Money's way.

Oscar de la Hoya—who lost to both of these men during his distinguished career—told thenational.ae (h/t Sky Sports) that the early exchanges are vital for Manny:

I feel Pacquiao has to win the first two or three rounds, because it’ll make Mayweather have to come from behind and he’ll have to start to pressure Pacquiao, to be the aggressor, and Mayweather does not like to be the aggressor.

So if Pacquiao can start well the first two rounds – winning those rounds – the fight can go in Pacquiao’s direction.

Granted, this is a tactic that Money will be versed with. Indeed, you only need to look back as far as his last two bouts, when Marcos Maidana was all over him like a rash from the off, perhaps in keeping with the underpinning consensus that if you want to ruffle Mayweather, exerting physicality and tempo is the way to do it. But those preconceptions are a little wide of the mark.

As Omar Little famously utters in The Wire, "if you come at the King, you best not miss," and it’s a line certainly applicable to this bout.

For a defensive master like Mayweather, an opponent erring towards recklessness is perfect as he can dip, evade, roll his shoulder and counter-punch. Maidana did, missed a lot and was subsequently schooled, so Floyd would be in his element if Manny came out swinging with abandon.

But Pacquiao’s ferocity is laced with other traits that will pose Floyd problems. His lateral movement is outstanding, his accuracy is forensic, and if the situation arises, he has the experience to take a step back and let Mayweather creep towards him, too.  

Aggression and intensity are positive factors, but Manny has the nous to know when to use these qualities appropriately. It's something Mayweather admitted himself recently, per Dan Rafael of ESPN:

To come into this fight and look to approach Mayweather as another fighter has done would be naive because 47 opponents have tried and failed to dethrone the pound-for-pound king. As the Filipino star notes himself, the pressure is off him coming into the bout, per Gareth Davies of The Telegraph:

God is with me, so I have peace of mind. Peace of mind is the most important thing. If God is with you everything will be right. ...

I'm doing my best in training to make sure I am at 100% condition. To make sure I am doing my job, as a human. I am preparing for the fight mentally, physically and, most importantly, spiritually.

By contrast, as noted in Davies' piece, Mayweather has heaped further expectations upon himself, insisting he is "the best" of all time. But legendary boxing broadcaster Bob Costas has told Bleacher Report that a full tilt Sugar Ray Leonard would get the better of the American:

Pacquiao must bring something completely different to the table to secure that elusive victory. Given his bespoke set of qualities, coupled with the spades of experience he’s accrued over the years, Manny can do exactly that.

Floyd will be ready for a barrage of punches, and he’s shown he can deal with these sorts of attacks. But these bombs from Pacquiao will be thrown with such forensic accuracy, from eccentric angles and with a fair deal of needle; something he’s never quite faced up to previously. 

As adaptable and slippery as Mayweather is, if Manny gets the balance right, there's only going to be one winner here.