Photo Credit: Ismael AbduSalaam/BeatsBoxingMayhem
May 2 is a day five years in the making with the less than nine hours separating us from the start of the Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao pay-per-view. This week alone has seen a dearth of articles and videos spinning any conceivable story on this event, so I will not waste your time rambling prose on why this fight has “captured the public’s imagination.” But I will tell why after years of picking Mayweather to win this fight handily, I left the weigh-in and walked straight to the MGM Grand Sportsbook and placed my first ever boxing bet on Manny Pacquiao to win a split decision over Mayweather.
Mayweather himself said a last month at the opening press conference that he never wanted to win a fight as badly as this one. For many, that was reinforced by his stoic, aloof demeanor at the weigh-in. He’s “all-business,” some people said around me. “Manny’s in trouble,” others postulated. What I saw was the man holding the weight of his boxing career on his shoulders.
Mayweather is not the first fighter to call himself the greatest ever. But unlike Muhammad Ali, Floyd at least waited until his career reached its twilight years to make the claim. At this stage, we have two decades worth of fights and title wins to properly assess Mayweather’s place in history. A Pacquiao win, even at this stage, adds to an already Hall of Fame, legendary career. But a defeat, no matter how controversial, is what “ruins” Mayweather’s legacy amongst the mainstream fanbase he’s so adroitly cultivated. When compared to the Alis and Robinsons of the world, Mayweather could always fall back on his undefeated record. No one could ever claim to have beaten him (all apologies to Jose Luis Castillo). A loss to Pacquiao, by far the greatest fighter he’s ever faced, erases the validity of the TBE title by Floyd’s very own criteria.
Which brings me to the head-scratching scoring in recent Mayweather fights. I had the privilege of seeing both the Canelo and first Maidana fights live. On my cards, Mayweather defeated Canelo handily and won a clear decision over Maidana. However, one judge in both fights scored the contest a draw. This tells me that Vegas judges, who are supposed to be “objective” observers, are starting to have their lenses colored by wanting to see boxing’s king deposed. It’s the reverse of what Ali experienced late in his career. “The Greatest” had an aura that gave him the benefit of the doubt in close and competitive rounds. With Mayweather, his lesser opponents are getting that advantage on isolated scorecards. A fighter the stature of Pacquiao stands to get the same if not more tonight.
At the weigh-in, Pacquiao repeatedly pointed to his shirt that emphasized glory to God. But if Pacquiao wins tonight, it’ll almost certainly be from judging that fallen under the “good vs. evil” narrative that many media outlets have pushed between their personas. Sure, Mayweather could shock the world and remove any doubt by replicating the brutal KO that it took Juan Manuel Marquez 8 years and 4 fights to do. Or Pacquiao could relocate the swirling dervish of combination punching that produced chilling KOs prior to the 2010 Mayweather negotiations. But their recent history says this is a fight that won’t be settled by knockout blows. An intense chess match between seasoned veterans who’ll take calculated risks is what the in-ring action will deliver. And the greed of Las Vegas wanting a lucrative rematch and unconscious bias among the judges are just two subplots that could overshadow the fighter’s performances.
A fight that “transcends boxing” has its downfalls because the facts are lost in myth. Considering what we’ve seen from judges in recent Mayweather fights, the close and competitive fight I’m envisioning Pacquiao bringing has the strong possibility of being enough for a “win” in the judges eyes.
You’re just hoping for a good fight? I’m more worried about good scoring.
Beats, Boxing and Mayhem 