Mayweather will be a much easier fight than Cotto for Pacquiao

November 20, 8:43 PMFilipino Sports ExaminerDennis "dSource" Guillermo

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 Mayweather-Pacquiao (AP Photo)

Styles make fights. And as good as a tactical defensive fighter Floyd Mayweather Jr. is, Manny Pacquiao has the recipe for his destruction.

Don't take it from me, Pacquiao's trainer Freddie Roach thinks so too. In an interview with ESPN's Dan Rafael, Roach made his thoughts known about his ward's potential next foe. "I've thought about Mayweather for a long time now," Roach said, and added, "He's the ultimate opponent. His style does pose some problems because he's very good at what he does. But after seeing Manny with Cotto, Manny showed he takes a punch well. We'll definitely knock Mayweather out. He'll break down. He can't stand up to Manny's pressure. He won't last as long as Cotto."

Now before you assume I am simply being biased, allow me to remind you that I have thus been accurate with my analysis of Pacquiao and his opponents. You can believe what you want but the record speaks for itself. Even my MMA predictions are at 27-5. I am simply calling it how I see it. Before Pacquiao even went on a press tour announcing his fight against Cotto, I already felt that among the three possible opponents he had at the time which were Mosley, Cotto and Mayweather, that Cotto would be the toughest and Mayweather the easiest.

Forget what you saw against the old, slow and bloated Marquez when Mayweather didn't even bother to make his catch-weight requirement, because at this point in their careers, Pacquiao would administer a far worse beating on Marquez than Mayweather did. Allow me to elaborate on some factors why I stake my claim without sounding too complicated.

THE IRONIES OF PACQUIAO & MAYWEATHER IN POETRY >> CLICK TO READ

First of all, Mayweather does not punch like Cotto. You already know how delicate Floyd's fists are that's why he needs 2 hours for them to be wrapped. If Pacquiao took Cotto's hardest and cleanest punches and simply shrugged it off, Mayweather's punches would feel like a massage. And against an opponent that Pacquiao knows that couldn't hurt him, his relentless attacks will just double in intensity and frequency.

Second, Mayweather has a harder time with quick southpaws. Check the tapes. Floyd had a hard time against Judah and DeMarcus Corley and was almost knocked down by both men (actually Judah knocked him down but the ref didn't see his glove touch the canvas). And just like my analysis on Judah's performance against Cotto, Pacquiao's left is more potent and his punches come at angles opponents can't see. Mayweather would have to run all night- literally, and not simply backpedal, for him to avoid Pacquiao's punches.

BATTERED AND BRUISED, COTTO SHOWED THE HEART OF A CHAMPION >> (CLICK TO READ)

Third, you can't really time Pacquiao. At least not this version of Pacquiao. Pacquiao used to be so unorthodox and relentless that it was already hard to time him but at the same time, a lot of what he did was too wild and left him open. The Pacquiao today though has learned how to control that and use his footwork to create gaps, move in and out and systematically still be aggressive. Floyd is a textbook, scientific fighter. That's why a lot of these boxing "purists" love his style. But Pacquiao's style can't be learned from any textbook. The pace at which he fights in is impossible to simulate for any sparring partner. Floyd will get a rude awakening and will feel his butt on the canvas and his mind preparing excuses like "Pacquiao is on steroids" for the post-fight press conference before he even realizes what hit him.

Fourth, Pacquiao is a fighter. He is a fighter. One more time. Pacquiao is a fighter. He has fought throughout his life and I don't know if there's anybody in the game that possesses the kind of heart, will, drive, killer instinct and destructive nature inside the ring that he has. He enjoys being a fighter. He smiles at the hint of violence inside the boxing ring. He was born to fight. Floyd was born to be a boxer and molded through years of training in the boxing ring, but Pacquiao's character was built in the gutter. Like he said in the post-fight press con in his rematch against Marquez "knock me out and you win", and he further made a comment on Philippine TV saying "they will have to kill me first before I give up." The only way Floyd wins is if he dances, runs and simply make the fight look more like "Dancing with the Stars".

And that shoulder roll defense? Pacquiao will dislocate it with his vicious hits. Incidentally, Roach has said something about Floyd's shoulder being dislocated before. If the slow Marquez was able to catch Floyd with clean lead shots, what do you think Manny's KO-caliber leads and hooks would do?

I can go on forever with this like Floyd with his excuses but at the end of the day, it is what it is. Deep inside I know Floyd believes Pacquiao might very well be that one person who can lay him out. Why else is he hyper-sensitive at the first mention of Pacquiao's name? It's a long time coming, but it will come sooner or later. The doubters didn't listen to me then when I said what I said about De la Hoya, Hatton and Cotto, but that's why the fights happen in the ring. All I'm saying is, if Floyd fights Manny, that zero in his loss column will surely be gone.

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