Floyd Mayweather Jr. & Manny Pacquiao - breakdowns from their common opponents

http://espn.go.com/boxing/story/_/id/12746958/five-common-opponents-break-mayweather-pacquiao

Nutshell:

• DLH - picking MP, implicitly, saying he is special and FMJ isn't
• Cotto - "rooting for" MP, waffles on pick, sounds to be leaning toward MP
• Mosley - picking FMJ
• Hatton - picking FMJ
• Marquez - waffling, leaning toward FMJ

In all their cases, you have to really take what they say with a grain of salt because their attitudes toward both are colored by, if not lingering feelings of ill will (or goodwill, as the case may be) a built in bias to protect how they look themselves.

For instance, DLH has all kinds of reasons to feel enmity toward FMJ outside the ring. (managed by the guy responsible for the schism with Schaeffer; talking all that **** and never apologizing for it afterward the way Mayorga did; still deluded thinking he deserved the nod)

Cotto is CURRENTLY TRAINED BY FREDDIE ROACH and gym buddies with Pac, so...

Mosley, in spite of things getting sour for a time before & during their rivalry, is a longtime friend of Mayweather's. They used to play basketball together. He also hurt Mayweather, so claiming Mayweather is better enhances his own image (as does claiming he was shot by the Pac loss)

Hatton too feels he ran Mayweather pretty close in the early going, and it benefits him to say that he gave the p4p #1 his all (while, like Mosley, dismissing his more embarrassingly one-sided defeat to Pacquiao as having come when he was damaged goods)

Marquez is perhaps the most neutral party, as he still begrudges the decisions in Pacquiao I-III but does have a mutual respect with his nemesis - while he was forced to make all sorts of concessions to Mayweather in their farce of a match-up and probably respects him less on a personal level (though professionally he can't help but admire the man's skill & dedication, and relates to him more than he does to Pacquiao with both of them being precise technical counter-punchers, albeit with the similarities ending there)

 

oscar is a ****er:rofl

 

Good read

 

100% Agree

 

Good stuff. All had good insight. I though Mosley had the most interesting take, but I'm not sure this is the same mobile floyd we saw in the Canelo fight. I'm not sure,

 

It won't be - it wasn't in Maidana I or II.

However, the fact that Mosley thinks both have the power to hurt the other is noteworthy. He tasted Manny's power (and consequently the canvas) and had Floyd rocked as we all know - but even so he maintains that Floyd is equally capable of hurting Manny. He felt like the only reason he couldn't do so himself was because of Manny's quick feet bouncing in and out and blinding him with flurries, so he couldn't get off any power shots. He thinks Floyd's timing and his own speed will allow him to catch Pacquiao in ways Mosley himself couldn't, and he respects Floyd's power enough to even say he could knock Manny out.

Very interesting.

 

One thing I noticed (as a Pacfan) was that Mosley and Hatton both picked Floyd but both noted Pac's speed and power. Mosley said it felt like he didn't have a chin anymore and Hatton said even Pac's non power shots felt very heavy handed. Their reasons for Floyd winning are: (Mosley) he'll be able to get out of the way of Pac's punches and (Hatton) Floyd just "figures out" ways to win. To me that means what we are all probably already expecting: Floyd will do a lot of running and clinching. He'll fire one punch before the clinch and one coming out of it and it'll be a frustrating fight unless Bayless does something about it.

 

Same here.

I remember Holyfield always saying that Tyson would beat Lewis, blaming Lewis for the press conference scuffle when Tyson bit Lewis's leg, saying Lewis didn't have the heart or guts to fight it out with Tyson and that would cause him to get KO'd.

 

True... Elucidated as usual so well by IB. This is exactly what I felt he was saying, (actually with more clarity.... Flurry part. For me it adds clarity as well as perplexing. Though what you just hit on, floyd catching him in ways shane couldn't, worries me, cause..l well it seems too true.

 

Great stuff thanks for sharing.

 

You don't think Mayweather looked mobile in Maidana 2?

It was an ugly fight, lots of clinching, but I thought Mayweather's legs looked pretty good. Definitely better than I expected of him at his age.

I thought he was more stationary and in-the-pocket against Canelo. He used movement at times, but he stayed a pretty good amount of time in the pocket and picking Canelo apart.

 

Thanks, nice read.

Feels like Shane and Ricky are choosing the safer bet with FLoyd, Cotto is waffling and chosing by loyalty but secretly leans towards Floyd, and JMM doesnt really care and is not committing to anything.

I like Oscars breakdown best. He is specific and more descriptive of each fighters advantage. I don't think he favors Pac because of his hatred of Floyd as Flobos accuse him in ESB. But his reason for choosing based on Pac forcing Floyd to think for every second is a pretty big assumption.

In the end, they all sound as uncertain as we all are.

 

Mobile enough to handle Maidana, but not vintage Pretty Boy.

Pacman is a bit quicker on his feet than Chino. :yep

 

What's interesting is, they all see it as a close fight. Mosley acknowledges that Floyd should win but if Pac can catch Floyd with the shot Pac caught Mosley with, he seems Floyd on the canvas.

Hatton also said he's "leaning" towards Mayweather but said its 50/50.

Yet all the Floyd fanboys here will have you believe its a complete wash and before the fight was signed, justified the fight not happening by claiming Floyd wins so easily anyways.