By Andrew Hall
The title of my article alone will give way to hoots of derision. The vast majority of people think that Floyd Mayweather beat Manny Pacquiao and anybody who dares question their authority doesn’t know anything about boxing!
Now, with that being said I would like to take another look at this Mayweather vs. Pacquiao fight because to me it is not so clear cut! I had the score seven rounds for Pacman Pacquiao and five rounds for Money Mayweather. I scored rounds: 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, and 10 for Pacquiao and rounds: 1, 5, 6, 9, and 12 for Mayweather. How did I score it this way with all of the rounds clearly supporting Floyd? The answer is that I felt Pacquiao landed the harder shots. When Manny landed on Floyd and swarmed all over him I could see the fear in Mayweather. His body language manifested a spirit and a heart that was scared (hence all the clinching and hugging).
Every time Pacquiao tried to get close Floyd would either move away or he would grab him and
hold him until the referee broke them up. I feel that Pacquiao landed the harder shots and I also feel that he was the aggressor throughout the entire bout. Manny Pacquiao was the one chasing Floyd, trying to corner him, and trying to engage him in a fight.
On the other hand, Floyd Mayweather was running and hugging scared. The truth is, he fought like a coward. A lot of people feel the way I do but they are told to shut up by people who are supposedly more adroit at scoring boxing matches!
Another reason I feel that Pacman deserved the decision is that Floyd’s own father was telling him between rounds to quit fighting scared. Floyd Sr. didn’t just say this in one round. He said it throughout the duration of the bout. It was a common theme in the Mayweather corner.
Now, I’m the first to admit that a lot of the rounds were close. If you prefer good defense you are probably going to score those same rounds for Floyd Mayweather. Both fighters landed good shots and you are entitled to give the rounds to Floyd on the basis that he landed more and was able to land the jab and the straight right on Manny Pacquiao. On the other hand, don’t call me a boxing neophyte or say I don’t understand the sport when I score the rounds for the man landing the harder shots and being the aggressor. A lot of it is a matter of preference. Of course, the fight was in Las Vegas where Mayweather brings in millions of dollars of
tourist money and so the judges were probably of a mind to give it to the defensive fighter!
Now, after the fight the big news was that Manny Pacquiao hurt his right shoulder before the fight. He was not allowed to get a legal medication shot that he had been getting throughout the duration of the training camp. I think that Pacquiao was able to use his right arm but I did see a lack of right hooks on his part. If Pacquiao is able to convince a long time boxing fan like
myself that he won this fight with a bad arm, imagine what he could do if he was 100 percent and had use of all the various weaponry that has made Manny Pacquiao a living legend in pugilistic circles around the globe?
