There is a global phenomenon, Mayweather-Pacquiao fight, coming up in two days. The odds of Manny winning is small. All the betting odds around the world has him at a lost. But I’ll be rooting for Manny all the way. Here’s to hoping for a win and some reasons why he might not.
The Underdog
Manny is definitely the underdog in this fight no matter how you look at it. Let’s start with the records.
| Pacquiao | Mayweather | |
| Age | 36 | 38 |
| Height | 5’ 6.5” | 5’ 8” |
| Reach | 67” | 72” |
| Weight | 147 lb | 147 lb |
| Style | Southpaw | Orthodox |
| Career Wins | 57 | 47 |
| Career Losses | 5 | 0 |
| Career Draws | 2 | 0 |
| Career KOs | 38 | 26 |
| Last 3 Year Wins | 3 | 5 |
| Last 3 Year Losses | 2 | 0 |
| Last 3 Year Draws | 0 | 0 |
| Last KO | 2009 TKO Cotto | 2011 KO Ortiz |
| Last Fight | UD 12 Algieri | UD 12 Maidana |
In this fight, I doubt age and height will play a role. However, reach is going to be big factor as there is 5” difference to the benefit of Mayweather. There might be a small Southpaw advantage for Pacquiao but being one of the world’s best fighter, Mayweather, will not be easily be at a disadvantage by such things. After all, there is no technical advantage for Southpaws. When looking at the records, the disadvantage for Manny becomes even clearer with him losing 40% of the fights in the last 3 years even though the last 3 fights have been wins. Then there’s the claim of Manny being the KO king. Manny hasn’t knocked out anyone since 2009 although he has knocked down opponents several times during that time. Mayweather on the other hand knocked out Ortiz in 2011, which is a bit more recent.
Stacked Against Manny
Kenny Bayless the referee has shown bias for Mayweather and that puts Manny at a disadvantage. De La Hoya has publicly come out against Bayless being neutral referee. In Mayweather’s last fight against Maidana, Bayless eagerly kept breaking them apart as soon as they got in close. That allowed Mayweather breathing room and disrupted Maidana strategy completely. Even Manny’s trainer, Roach, has stated that Bayless “seems to favor Mayweather”. But hopefully with this much publicity on the fight, particularly on Bayless’ possible bias, he would reflect and go into the fight leaving his bias outside the ring.
I Don’t Support Serial Domestic Abusers
Mayweather has a history of abusing women. There has been multiple instances of Mayweather punching, kicking, and dragging women by their hair. He has plead guilty. He has been found guilty. And he has served jail time. But he has always managed to negotiated his way to lesser charges using his wealth every time. These days, in other sports, such behavior would not be tolerated. But here he is for a historic payday which will probably fund more abuse against women.
Against All Odds
If anyone is going to win against difficult odds, it’s Manny. He has proven over and over again that he rises beyond impossible with a smile on his face. He started out in life as a newborn from a very poor family in the Philippines in the middle of a civil war. Now, he’s a congressman and one of the highest paid athletes in the world, who has won against legends and holds a guinness world record. And he’s a nice guy.
I root. I hope. And I want to see Manny come out on top. Manny FTW.
