Mayweather will prevail as boxing is a family business

I fancy Floyd Mayweather Jr to comfortably beat Manny Pacquiao this Saturday. In fact, it could be a knockout (KO).  Here is how and why: Mayweather is a far better fighter of the two at this moment.

He remains undefeated as a professional with 10 world titles. This feat is no fluke and neither are these the numbers associated with someone who is about to lose the biggest bout of his career. The second fact is that Mayweather hails from a boxing background and this is an advantage that may not seem significant to many but it will play a great role in this bout.

His “papa” and current trainer was a successful welterweight fighter of his time; his uncles too were professional boxers. You can imagine the experienced crew that surrounds this man. Such know-how plays a pivotal role during moments like these when a boxer needs to train harder and remain calm amid global spotlight.

Pacquiao would have won this one had it been contested two or three years ago, when he was, in my opinion, at his best shape.  This is why am tempted to think the Filipino is doing this for the money. You got to give it to his promoters for doing a good job of marketing him to remain relevant, and it doesn’t come bigger  and better than this.  It is curious to note the 36 year old already has another bout lined up in two months’ time, regardless of the outcome in this contest.

I also noted with concern that Pacquiao has been moving around the world so much in the recent past, especially from California (in the USA) to his native Philippines in the name of training under different climates which in my opinion doesn’t spell confidence at all.

FALL FOR MIND GAMES

That body language full of bravado and ability is all misplaced because his opponent isn’t of the caliber to fall for mind games.

Onto the tactics, the courage and confidence exhibited by Mayweather throughout his fights will give him an edge; importantly, he will be fighting for his record. The immediate game plan when this bout starts will be to marshal the audience to his side through pulling some early punches and antics.

This will then be followed by his tried and tested formula of using the ring to his advantage.

 The 38-year-old is known to move from one corner (of the ring) to another ever so well a move that tires down most of his opponents, who will prefer a “centre battle”.

 When the KO punch eventually comes, it will be from that powerful left jab that has served Mayweather so faithfully during his boxing career. Special mention however to Pacquiao’s abilities.

He has power, hand speed and experience. He loves moving inside, which is an attribute that is perfect for this match-up. His endurance is however in question considering he has previously been knocked down on four occasions. I expect his power to be overshadowed by his opponent’s better speed because in this industry, speed on most occasions beats power.

And finally, the fact that we are discussing this Sh36 billion-worth of fight is an indicator of how a big sports entity boxing has become. America’s economy is powered by almost 20 per cent of the proceeds from sports earned through TV rights, sale of merchandise, and online ticket sales. The government needs to take this cue and consider sports a serious entity of its economy.