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Mayweather vs Pacquiao | May 2, 2015

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What a weird comparison.. First off, Leonard and Hagler were much bigger guys than Mayweather and Pacquiao. Secondly, Leonard fought as heavy as light heavyweight. Third, Leonard would be the first to tell you he had to have a defensive style literally beaten into him, and had he fought that way his entire career it would've been far more successful.

He had to get a detached retina and be written off for good before he would become a defensive specialist...

Again, we seem to be doing everything but talking about Mayweather-Pacquiao - the actual fight....
 
Sidenote:

Just remembered I have a Hearns vs Leonard 1 ticket from their Sept 16, 1981 fight inside one of my collectibles safes. Dad sat in the Caesar's Terrace and saved the ticket.

I can't get to it where it is right now in my attic, but it's the same ticket as on the right below.

$_57.JPG
That's fantastic. I envy your old man for that experience.

That whole series of fights involving Hagler, Hearns, and Leonard was amazing. Could probably toss Benitez and Duran in there as well. You had skilled fighters, hard punching, contrasting styles, controversy, and guts.

I saw Hagler - Hearns on closed circuit in OKC in 1985. Only three rounds, but worth every penny.

Closed circuit fights were so much fun. Essentially, they turned a movie theater into a boxing venue, so you got the whole crowd experience. Absolute blast.

Mayweather - Manny is such a contrast. No real highlights, no sense that they left it all out there....nothing. We got to see a very skilled fighter show off his skills for 12 rounds without breaking much of a sweat, and that's it.
 
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I think the biggest mistake in promoting this fight was not running any type of programming highlighting the styles of the two fighters. I think it would have done wonders in curbing the disappointment of fans expecting a blood bath.
 
I think the biggest mistake in promoting this fight was not running any type of programming highlighting the styles of the two fighters. I think it would have done wonders in curbing the disappointment of fans expecting a blood bath.

I don't think it has to be a bloodbath to be a good fight. Leonard - who fought best as a welterweight - put on great fights even when it wasn't a war like with Hagler. His fight with Benitez - despite a late cut - wasn't overly brutal. Ali could win and entertain without bloodbaths, though he also fought in some of those.

Mayweather does enough to win comfortably, and that's it. So if he outclasses someone - as he did Manny - he's content to ride that to the end. And honestly, I just don't think a fight where one guy is in his comfort zone the whole night is very entertaining.

What was the memorable round? When were the memorable exchanges? I can admire Mayweather's technical proficiency, but to me, each round he won was no different than any other. There's just not much to talk about in terms of the actual fight.

The problem wasn't styles - Manny's style theoretically should have made for a decent fight. But these guys combined ages were the same as the infamous "Geezers at Caesars" Foreman-Cooney fight - 74 years. Manny didn't have the motor/fire to press harder than he did, and Mayweather chose not to take greater advantage of his superiority, and essentially coasted. Old dudes who just weren't hungry for anything other than a paycheck.
 
I don't think it has to be a bloodbath to be a good fight. Leonard - who fought best as a welterweight - put on great fights even when it wasn't a war like with Hagler. His fight with Benitez - despite a late cut - wasn't overly brutal. Ali could win and entertain without bloodbaths, though he also fought in some of those.

Mayweather does enough to win comfortably, and that's it. So if he outclasses someone - as he did Manny - he's content to ride that to the end. And honestly, I just don't think a fight where one guy is in his comfort zone the whole night is very entertaining.

What was the memorable round? When were the memorable exchanges? I can admire Mayweather's technical proficiency, but to me, each round he won was no different than any other. There's just not much to talk about in terms of the actual fight.

The problem wasn't styles - Manny's style theoretically should have made for a decent fight. But these guys combined ages were the same as the infamous "Geezers at Caesars" Foreman-Cooney fight - 74 years. Manny didn't have the motor/fire to press harder than he did, and Mayweather chose not to take greater advantage of his superiority, and essentially coasted. Old dudes who just weren't hungry for anything other than a paycheck.

Those are all fair points, and you seem like a guy with knowledge on the sport. I just feel like the event could have used a prepper for folks that haven't seen many. Your point about Floyd being in his comfort zone is one thing, and I can't really argue with that. I wonder how many people, though, had no idea how he fought and were stunned by the style of the fight. All I hear about at work is grumbling about how he was running. Floyd's work doesn't make highlight reels so a lot of casual fans thought it was a boring outlier, rather than a trademark performance.

EDIT: I do disagree that Floyd looked old/uninterested and coasted. If the win asked for more aggression I have no doubt that he would have slipped with more combos. He just didn't have to expose himself more than he did.
 
EDIT: I do disagree that Floyd looked old/uninterested and coasted. If the win asked for more aggression I have no doubt that he would have slipped with more combos. He just didn't have to expose himself more than he did.

I totally agree...

I doubt anyone who actually watched the fight would say Floyd looked old. He was great.
 
If manny would of worked the kidney that was available to him intead of punching high he might have motivated floyd to unleash an ass whooping on him. as it was Floyd was up on points and had no need to take punches to make punches. Manny didnt make many mistakes so it minimized the Mayweather oppurtunities.

Manny either had to get ahead of the count with a steady stream of body punches until Mayweather struck back or make mistakes and leave openings for mayweather to exploit.

just look at the gif someone posted earlier. the right body was open
 
EDIT: I do disagree that Floyd looked old/uninterested and coasted. If the win asked for more aggression I have no doubt that he would have slipped with more combos. He just didn't have to expose himself more than he did.

I don't think Floyd looked either old or uninterested. Manny looked old, and was unwilling/unable to press Floyd.

Floyd just looked like a guy who wasn't being pushed, and wasn't going to push himself any more than necessary to get the win. I certainly think he had could have given more had the fight demanded it, which is sort of the problem from an entertainment standpoint, at least to me. It's kind of the way he's always fought, and he's still got fantastic, undeniable skills. It's just that other fighters with that kind of an advantage usually will press more so as to achieve a more dominating win, rather than just doing enough to win.

We didn't see what he was actually capable of as a fighter because he took his foot off the accelerator. It's just damn frustrating this fight didn't happen 7 years ago with a Manny capable of high-volume punching for 12 rounds. I still think Floyd would have won that fight -- he's that good -- but we'd have seen him forced to lay it all out there as well.
 
So damn this KO was crazy...

 
We don't have a boxing thread so I'll post here...

If you're not following/watching Gennady Golovkin fights you're doing yourself a great disservice. Kid is a problem right now.
 
We don't have a boxing thread so I'll post here...

If you're not following/watching Gennady Golovkin fights you're doing yourself a great disservice. Kid is a problem right now.

Really hope to see him fight Canelo and then Andre Ward. Some great fights if the guys step up to fight him. He also gives hands down the best interviews.
 
Really hope to see him fight Canelo and then Andre Ward. Some great fights if the guys step up to fight him. He also gives hands down the best interviews.

I think he'd beat Cotto and it would be pretty one-sided. GGG v. Canelo would be a war.
 
I think he'd beat Cotto and it would be pretty one-sided. GGG v. Canelo would be a war.
Agreed, Cotto wants nothing to do with him. I wonder how Canelo and GGG would go though. Canelo has really underrated defense and a ton of pop as he showed in his last fight. Is his counterpunching good enough to make GGG respect him? Its crazy how GGG lands blows that don't seem to hit flush, yet the guys on the receiving end get glassy eyed and their legs start to wobble. Just incredible power.
 

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