Sports
- Super User
- Category: Sports
- Saturday, 02 May 2015 12:31
The things to know before the Mayweather-Pacquiao bout of the century...
As the richest fight in boxing history draws ever closer, Sportsmail has designed a fitting guide for armchair fans.
From their stances to their punch accuracy, we have everything you need to know about Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao.
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: THINGS TO LOOK OUT FOR
THE SHOULDER ROLL
Less effective against a southpaw but still a key move. He plants his back leg and rolls his body away from danger, leaving his opponent with no target to hit. Only athletic boxers with lightning reflexes can make this work and it leaves him perfectly positioned to counter.
STICKY PUNCHES
Mayweather likes leaving his hands extended in and around his opponent, using tiny movements to control their head. That keeps them off balance, making them easier to attack as they recover.
30mph - Speed of a Mayweather punch - five times faster than a rattlesnake strike
0.09sec - Mayweather's reaction speed to visual stimuli, twice as fast as the average person. That helps him spot and evade punches.
WHAT'S ON THE MENU?
Mayweather has extravagant eating habits - he has had oxtail stew cooked for him at 4am - but his personal chef is feeding him a protein-rich diet of meats, fish and organic juices. His favourite dish though is fried turkey hot dogs in BBQ sauce.
STRATEGY
Mayweather is more versatile and he can approach the fight in two ways:
1) Clever defence and counter-punching. He can dance around the ring, picking his shots as Pacquiao comes in.
2) Dominating the ring and keeping Manny under control, especially with that straight right against a southpaw.
STRENGTHS
Boxing is like chess and Floyd is a brilliant tactician who can adapt from defence as the fight goes on. His straight right is devastating.
MANNY PACQUIAO: THINGS TO LOOK OUT FOR
PUNCHING POWER
Generating huge power relies on core strength and quick hand speed, which Pacquiao has in abundance. He is lightning-quick and can regularly land punches with more than 800lb of force.
LEFT HOOK
Pacquiao's most effective weapon and the punch that flattened Ricky Hatton, the only Brit to fight either man. By arcing his arm, he can get round his opponent's guard and since the punch starts outside the eye-line, it is much harder to spot.
0.12sec - The time it takes Pacquiao to land a punch. It takes around 0.3sec to blink.
59.6 punches - Pacquiao has thrown nearly 60 punches per round in his last five fights, 20 more than Mayweather.
WHAT'S ON THE MENU?
Pacquiao eats three to four times a day to compensate for calories burned in the gym and his chef allows him to eat as much as he wants, trusting him to eat healthily. His menu includes chicken, beef, stew, rice and plenty of vegetables.
STRATEGY
Pacquiao will be the aggressor but he has to rediscover the speed and power with which he dominated Oscar de la Hoya (2008) and Miguel Cotto (2009). If so, that knock-out left can penetrate the Mayweather defence as the left shoulder roll is not so effective against a southpaw. It has to be fast: in, hit and out. In Freddie Roach he has a great trainer to set that up.
STRENGTHS
Pacquiao is blessed with speed and power, is committed to attack and can sustain it for 12 rounds. Watch that left hook...
SOURCE: Dailymail.co.uk