The day all boxing fans have been waiting for has finally come: Floyd Mayweather has agreed to box Manny Pacquiao. Already deemed the fight of the century, the bout is set to take place on May 2 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Mayweather comes in with an unprecedented 47-0 record, making him the early favorite. Don’t sleep on Pacquiao though. He comes into the fight with a 57-5-2 record, but he knows a fight like this could make or break a career. Either way the fight is projected to gross up to $400 million and is set to be one of the biggest sports events of the 21st century.
The Case for Pacquiao by Joe Sala
This is primed to be one of the best matches the world has ever seen, no matter who wins. I give Pacquiao the advantage in the bout, however. The key to this match for Pacquiao is endurance. Mayweather has the advantage of reach and strength in this fight, as he does most. But Pacquiao’s southpaw style favors him being able to throw many right jabs, increasing his punch count and giving him the edge if it comes down to the judges.
Pacquiao has been known to have one of the most lethal jabs in the boxing world. He is often times able to stun his opponent with the jab, then open him up for his left-handed hook. This is a favorable style especially against a fighter with a heavy right like Mayweather. Pacquiao’s best chance is to pick and choose his moments. He can’t open up heavy and leave himself open to an early KO. He needs to wait for Mayweather to show any sign of fatigue then take a slightly more aggressive offensive approach. Even though Pacquiao is known for his relentless pressure, Pacquiao will have to find a way to hold back early on.
The emotions surrounding the fight also play into the favor of Pacquiao. He is rarely an underdog, and being an underdog in this fight might play to his mental drive advantage. This is a once-in-a-lifetime fight that has been put off since 2009. Both parties have had an equal share of negotiation disputes, but most of them were due to Mayweather’s refusal to have an equal split. Also in 2010, Mayweather was quoted making racial comments directed at Pacquiao. Mayweather later denied making these comments, but they still added some heat into the fight.
Either way Pacquiao is still one of the greatest fighters of his generation. Overall, I think the combination of endurance and motivation will give Pacquiao his career-defining win.
 
The Case for Mayweather by Edward Ruff III
Floyd Mayweather Jr. has been an unstoppable force since his arrival in professional boxing. When he entered professional boxing, he TKO’d his first opponent in less than 1 minute (37 seconds to be exact), and the streak has been rolling ever since. “Money” Mayweather is 47-0 with 26 KOs to his name and is looking like he may end his career on top of the world if he can overpower Pacquiao.
The fight is located in Las Vegas, a venue Mayweather has been known to shine in. He also has a 2-inch height advantage and a 5-inch reach advantage over his opponent. Mayweather may be a year older than Pacquiao, but Mayweather hasn’t been beaten up as much. There is a reason why the man has never lost. Pacquiao is going to discover those reasons when he steps into the ring. Chucky Bizzaro, a senior at Prep and also a boxing enthusiast, says, “It will be a great fight, but ‘Money’ Mayweather is a beast and will show it against Pacquiao.”
In my personal opinion, I feel the fight will last until about the middle to late stages of the second round before Mayweather successfully knocks out Pacquiao. The only depressing aspect about this bout is the fact that this would have gone down as possibly the greatest fight in the history of the sport if it had been fought in 2009. It would have been phenomenal to see these two in the prime of their careers battling it out. Now, towards the later stages of their careers, it just won’t have the same thrill as the two would have had 6 years ago.