Though the biggest fight in boxing is looking like a pipe dream at the moment – primarily due to Mayweather’s lack of interest to compete against a dangerous and prime threat – we asked several boxing insiders how they see the super fight playing out…
Ivan Calderon: “For me, my experience like a boxer – intelligence – I would think Mayweather. Pacquiao got the quickness, the ability. But the intelligence – Mayweather got it. And he’s more a boxer.”
Miguel Cotto: “I don’t know. They have to prepare themselves well. I don’t know.”
Joseph Agbeko: “No comment. Because they’re both good fighters. I think the best man’s gonna win. Boxing you know, boxing sometimes you predict a tough fight and it comes around and it comes very easy. Sometimes you see an easy fight and you go in and it becomes a tough fight. So I just can’t say, it’s very hard to predict. I would like to see this fight.”
Tomasz Adamek: “Mayweather is a smart, wonderful fighter. Pacquiao is a tough guy but Mayweather has a good defense and he’s smart.”
Chuck Wepner: “Oh wow. I love Pacquiao. Unfortunately, Mayweather, who I think is a great fighter – he retired. And it’s tough to come back. Marquez and Pacquiao are going to be two tough fights for Mayweather. Mayweather is a great fighter but these two are tough too. Now I think Pacquiao might win. Three or four years ago I don’t think anybody could have beaten Mayweather. Now I think Pacquiao or Marquez could be the best fighter pound for pound. Pacquiao is younger, he hasn’t been laid off. This could be to his advantage.”
Doel Carrasquillo: “At 147 – Mayweather.”
Arthur Abraham: “Mayweather – he’s the number one boxer in the world.”
Mikkel Kessler: “It would be a great fight I think. But I think Pacquiao would win it. Because he’s a fast guy. He has fast hands.”
Andre Dirrell: “I’ll go with the undefeated. I always go with the undefeated. Mayweather is an accurate puncher. I respect Pacquiao a lot, it’s gonna be a hard fight. I respect Pacquiao like hell. But he leaves himself open. Floyd’s an accurate, accurate puncher. He’s gonna study that.”
Otis Grant: “I think Mayweather has the style to beat Pacquiao. Mayweather is not easy to hit, he’s mobile. He’s never lost. It’s hard to beat a guy that never lost. I’m siding with Mayweather. But I think it’s an exciting fight. Mayweather is the kind of fighter that can only beat himself. The one fight he had that I thought he possibly was gonna lose was Diego Corrales. And he beat Corrales so bad. I never went against him since that fight [smiles]. And he hasn’t let me down since so I’m still siding with Mayweather. He’s exceptionally quick, mobile, not easy to hit. He does a lot of good things I don’t think Pacquiao’s ever seen before.”
Jorge Arce: “Mayweather would win that fight. He’s too strong, very fast, intelligent, his movement. And he’s such a great counter-puncher. I think Mayweather would be perfect for him.”
Juan Manuel Lopez: “Pacquiao. Pacquiao has the style which I feel he can beat Mayweather with. But Mayweather is Mayweather. He has a great style as well. So it’s really a toss-up fight in my eyes.”
Yuri Foreman: “Hard to say. I think maybe Pacquiao. Aggression. And because Floyd Mayweather…you know what…I’m changing my mind [laughter].”
You could literally see some of these fighters getting excited just thinking about Pacquiao vs. Maywweather. This fight has the potential to be the superfight of the decade. HBO, Golden Boy, Oscar De La Hoya, Al Haymon, don’t be a sucker for this chicken dodger (who we all know is reluctant to man up and fight Pac-Man) any more. For the integrity of the sport of boxing, for the natural evolution and future of our great sport, CALL Mayweather out and publicly make him take this fight, force Floyd to get off his pompous, handpicking ass, and make him fight the fight you and everyone wants to see – Mayweather vs. Pacquiao. If you let Floyd hide behind his excuses to duck Pacquiao you are all complicit in perpetrating the fraud known as “Floyd Mayweather.”