Floyd Mayweather vs Manny Pacquiao Fight Predictions: Keith Thurman Offers Advice to Pacquiao Against Mayweather for May 2 Match
Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao aren't schedule to fight each other until Saturday, May 2, but everyone is providing their own opinion on the upcoming super fight.
Fans, former boxers, media personnel and even current boxers are weighing in.
The most recent to lend his opinion was interim WBA Welterweight Champion Keith Thurman. Thurman has been calling out Mayweather for a potential fight for what seems like an eternity now, saying Mayweather "lacks power" and Thurman would be the toughest of all of his opponents. But, Thurman seems to be leaning to Mayweather's side for May 2.
“How does Floyd want to win? If Floyd wants to win hands down, he’s going to win hands down. If Floyd wants to make it controversial, he’ll make it controversial. If Floyd wants to not get touched, he won’t get touched. He’s not going to be on the ropes. He’s not going to give Manny Pacquiao a shot. Manny’s going to have to work for everything come May 2,” Thurman said.
Thurman appears to be giving Mayweather the edge because of his great speed. Mayweather's best defense against his opponents is his ability to avoid getting hit. If Mayweather can stay away from Pacquiao's hard left hand and not get knocked down, many believe he will come out victorious on the scorecards.
While Mayweather does have a slight advantage in speed and quickness, Pacquiao has an edge in power. The 36-year-old Filipino has a higher knockout rate than Mayweather, and he will do anything to just have that opportunity to fully connect with Mayweather's jaw. Thurman then explained how Pacquiao could do just that.
Thurman then went on to say, “What I’d really like to see from Manny Pacquiao is come awkward overhand right hooks and left uppercuts because sometimes when you get Floyd on the ropes he likes to duck down to his right, if he ducks down to his right, Manny can come with an uppercut. I think it’s going to be in Manny Pacquiao’s favor to throw as many feints as possible when Floyd is on the ropes.”
Feints are deceptive boxing moves and techniques used to trick opponents. Such feints include half punches, counter steps, fake jabs and forward steps.
As for Thurman's comments, he's right on the money. Attacking head-on is very difficult because Mayweather is one quick individual. Trapping Mayweather will be the name of the game for Pacquiao, and if he can do that, he could score huge body blows, big points from the judges, and possibly land that huge uppercut that Thurman talks about.
Thurman certainly wants to stay in the picture because he knows his chance of facing either Mayweather or Pacquiao is limited. In his last fight Thurman extended his undefeated streak against Robert Guerrero in a thrilling 12-round match. Many believe he deserves to face the winner, or maybe even the loser of the Maywather-Pacquiao fight. Such a match would be huge considering the fact that Mayweather, Pacquiao and Thurman all hold titles in the Welterweight division.
This fight will be without a doubt the biggest and most hyped match-up of 2015. Regardless of who wins, fans just want to see an entertaining and exciting bout from two of the best fighters of the 21st century.
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