Pacquiao has it all! Mayweather may beat his opponents, but

the "Pac" destroys his opponents. Roger has never had his heart tested and this would be the chance to see if he is just a gifted defensive boxer or a true gladiator. Really don't think M wants any piece of this fight and the promoters will get in the way via purse percentages, etc. It may not even happen. As a lover of boxing, it dissappoints me that the sport has suffered so much from outside the ring. The announcers have become over rated celebrities, that if you watch the fight it sometimes makes you wonder which fight they are calling. Freddie Roach should go down as one if not the greatest trainier in the buisness. Pretty Boy does not want any part of the Pac Man!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm reading the earlier comment with amusement. Yes Manny would beat Roger but unfortunately for Manny he'll be fighting Floyd. Like him or not Floyd is arguably the greatest of all time in his weight classes. I'd like all geniuses like Anna to get in touch with me to bet on the outcome. You know what PT Barnum said .... "there's a sucker born every minute" !

Floyd is a supremely masterful fighter, but he has a really fragile ego. That's why he has to play mind games and constantly has questionable injuries. He is dirty, too, but that's all part of how he fights, and he is extremely good at it! The thing is, Pacquiao is the "pound for pound best fighter in the world," and I guarantee it irks Mayweather to have someone else being called that instead of him. Mayweather's ego is going to be what drives him to the ring, then, games and all, but it's also going to end up being his downfall. Pacquiao is an animal, and I don't think he's going to be as easily phased by all that as many of Mayweather's other opponents. He's a smart fighter, too. What's more, I think pissing Pacquiao off is the last thing anyone would want to do. It's just going to make him better. He is by no means a joke. In the end, I place my bets on Pacquiao winning by knockout or TKO. I think he's going to tear through Mayweather like no tomorrow, providing he stays fit and focused and keeps Roche in his corner.

Hey Kirk... I don't think you have any clue of how powerful Manny Pacquiao is... He has proven it in 7 weight divisions! Put Manny in the ring with Mayweather and the world will again see how amazing Pac-Man is! I hope they make it happen!

Mayweather doesn't need to change weight divisions to rack up wins. Pacquiao would come at him like a rabid animal wanting to win. Mayweather would use his smarts and experience in the ring to cooly take him down. It would be a tough fit, but Mayweather would prevail.

Once again, Granny43... I don't think you understand the magnitude of Manny Pacquiao's latest achievements... Your ignorance will only prove you wrong once Manny destroys Floyd in the ring... Let's just hope Mayweather makes the fight happen without any controversy...

The interesting thing about Manny is how much better he has gotten as he moved up in weight.  His power seems to have increased.  Freddie has done a spectacular job training him.  Manny's development in the use of his right hand and his foot work has made a tremendous difference in the last few years.  Floyd will have his hands full with the speed and power.  Floyd is a great defensive fighter but Manny is like a buzz saw.  Should be a great fight.

i think its worth bringing up that IF the manny/floyd fight materializes (i'm sure they were on the phone microseconds after the event ended)...we should anticipate that when they get to the ring....floyd will no doudtedly resort to tactics that will tend to upset the crowd..like a little tying up here,an arm lock or two there,and some general sloppyness...that naturally goes along with "frustrated defensive" measures...; floyd is notorious for avoidance tactics...finds a spot, goes in for a couple of throws, then is instantly on heavy defense...signaling invitation for that continued pattern...; the thing floyd is not gonna handle so well, is the circling/dancing front to back combination...especially in later rounds (manny will not be seeking a KO)...when you begin to witness manny's pin point accuracy well into the last half of the fight, combined with his circling (dizzying) style..you have to consider that floyd's gonna get dizzy.....again, later on...; btw, when floyd fought marquez....it was marquez who was the most active...if marquez had been as UNactive as floyd....can you imagine how many viewers would have been put to sleep?

This question has been batted around for a good long while and more than ever the odds are very much in Manny's favor. The reason for this is that Manny loves to fight, while Floyd loves the game, that is the promotion, chatter, etc. The visual result of this is Manny getting better, much better, over the years and Floyd with all his skills in place from an earlier age, simply looking for his next paycheck.

If you have watched Pacquiao over the last several years you'll see the evidence of this, at least from his side of things. When he was at the lower weight classes he was certainly powerful, and his trademark unorthodox style, even by typical south paw standards, was front and center, along with a straight ahead mentality. But now, as part of his desire to be a more complete fighter, better utilizing his superior talents, and with Freddy Roche's help, he takes the time to observe and pick apart opponents in the ring before going at them. Anyone who saw the Cotto fight saw that in the first several rounds Manny stood right in front of Cotto rarely even bothering to turn to the side, as Manny said himself "test Cotto's power." Cotto won that first round, but that is where Manny won the fight. Once Manny saw that barring a good shot, he wasn't going to be hurt, he goaded Miquel to hit him, especially with body shots. Easy enough since that's what Cotto wanted to do. Manny absorbed most of these shots and later slipped out of the way of the others he chose to pass on, all the while landing flurries of big shots of his own using his superior speed.

Now Floyd is just as good a ring general, if not better than Manny, so no mismatch there. He could even be as fast as Manny, but he doesn't have Manny's power, especially from all angles. His defensive skills will lead to a fight dominated by Manny chasing him around, with Floyd looking to counter, and mixing it up by going on the offensive for confusion sake. But all the while Floyd will be hoping more than anything else - and looking ensure it in the pre-match posturing - for a return of the straight ahead, one-dimensional Pacquiao of old. Guess what, not gonna happen. Manny is way beyond that now, and even if there are inklings of that, Freddy will be there to remind him of the plan. And with regards to Roche; over the last few fights there has been a lot of energy spent on attempting to downplay his role and impact in Pacquiao's performance. Again, sorry but Roche is just as much the real deal as Manny. He has been around far too long not to know exactly what various things will be coming his fighter's way, in various situations, and just as important, Manny trusts him. It may seem corny in the boarish, chest-thumping world of professional boxing, but it is a proven winning combo, and one that has been lacking in many of the corners of Manny's high quality, high profile opponents, including Floyd's.

So, in the end it seems to me that if this fight is made, there will be very big dollars made in both corners, which is as it should be. I just hope that both fighters represent themselves well. Being the one of the two that loves the fight more, and seemingly doesn't need the spotlight, I can't imagine Manny won't. Conversely, having very well bitten off more than he can chew and always craving the spotlight, I fear that Floyd may take his cut of the sizable purse back into retirement, all the while for history's sake wishing he had stayed there. We shall see though. I'm looking forward to it.

This question has been batted around for a good long while and more than ever the odds are very much in Manny's favor. The reason for this is that Manny loves to fight, while Floyd loves the game, that is the promotion, chatter, etc. The visual result of this is Manny getting better, much better, over the years and Floyd with all his skills in place from an earlier age, simply looking for his next paycheck.

If you have watched Pacquiao over the last several years you'll see the evidence of this, at least from his side of things. When he was at the lower weight classes he was certainly powerful, and his trademark unorthodox style, even by typical south paw standards, was front and center, along with a straight ahead mentality. But now, as part of his desire to be a more complete fighter, better utilizing his superior talents, and with Freddy Roche's help, he takes the time to observe and pick apart opponents in the ring before going at them. Anyone who saw the Cotto fight saw that in the first several rounds Manny stood right in front of Cotto rarely even bothering to turn to the side, as Manny said himself "test Cotto's power." Cotto won that first round, but that is where Manny won the fight. Once Manny saw that barring a good shot, he wasn't going to be hurt, he goaded Miquel to hit him, especially with body shots. Easy enough since that's what Cotto wanted to do. Manny absorbed most of these shots and later slipped out of the way of the others he chose to pass on, all the while landing flurries of big shots of his own using his superior speed.

Now Floyd is just as good a ring general, if not better than Manny, so no mismatch there. He could even be as fast as Manny, but he doesn't have Manny's power, especially from all angles. His defensive skills will lead to a fight dominated by Manny chasing him around, with Floyd looking to counter, and mixing it up by going on the offensive for confusion sake. But all the while Floyd will be hoping more than anything else - and looking ensure it in the pre-match posturing - for a return of the straight ahead, one-dimensional Pacquiao of old. Guess what, not gonna happen. Manny is way beyond that now, and even if there are inklings of that, Freddy will be there to remind him of the plan. And with regards to Roche; over the last few fights there has been a lot of energy spent on attempting to downplay his role and impact in Pacquiao's performance. Again, sorry but Roche is just as much the real deal as Manny. He has been around far too long not to know exactly what various things will be coming his fighter's way, in various situations, and just as important, Manny trusts him. It may seem corny in the boarish, chest-thumping world of professional boxing, but it is a proven winning combo, and one that has been lacking in many of the corners of Manny's high quality, high profile opponents, including Floyd's.

So, in the end it seems to me that if this fight is made, there will be very big dollars made in both corners, which is as it should be. I just hope that both fighters represent themselves well. Being the one of the two that loves the fight more, and seemingly doesn't need the spotlight, I can't imagine Manny won't. Conversely, having very well bitten off more than he can chew and always craving the spotlight, I fear that Floyd may take his cut of the sizable purse back into retirement, all the while for history's sake wishing he had stayed there. We shall see though. I'm looking forward to it.

This question has been batted around for a good long while and more than ever the odds are very much in Manny's favor. The reason for this is that Manny loves to fight, while Floyd loves the game, that is the promotion, chatter, etc. The visual result of this is Manny getting better, much better, over the years and Floyd with all his skills in place from an earlier age, simply looking for his next paycheck.

If you have watched Pacquiao over the last several years you'll see the evidence of this, at least from his side of things. When he was at the lower weight classes he was certainly powerful, and his trademark unorthodox style, even by typical south paw standards, was front and center, along with a straight ahead mentality. But now, as part of his desire to be a more complete fighter, better utilizing his superior talents, and with Freddy Roche's help, he takes the time to observe and pick apart opponents in the ring before going at them. Anyone who saw the Cotto fight saw that in the first several rounds Manny stood right in front of Cotto rarely even bothering to turn to the side, as Manny said himself "test Cotto's power." Cotto won that first round, but that is where Manny won the fight. Once Manny saw that barring a good shot, he wasn't going to be hurt, he goaded Miquel to hit him, especially with body shots. Easy enough since that's what Cotto wanted to do. Manny absorbed most of these shots and later slipped out of the way of the others he chose to pass on, all the while landing flurries of big shots of his own using his superior speed.

Now Floyd is just as good a ring general, if not better than Manny, so no mismatch there. He could even be as fast as Manny, but he doesn't have Manny's power, especially from all angles. His defensive skills will lead to a fight dominated by Manny chasing him around, with Floyd looking to counter, and mixing it up by going on the offensive for confusion sake. But all the while Floyd will be hoping more than anything else - and looking ensure it in the pre-match posturing - for a return of the straight ahead, one-dimensional Pacquiao of old. Guess what, not gonna happen. Manny is way beyond that now, and even if there are inklings of that, Freddy will be there to remind him of the plan. And with regards to Roche; over the last few fights there has been a lot of energy spent on attempting to downplay his role and impact in Pacquiao's performance. Again, sorry but Roche is just as much the real deal as Manny. He has been around far too long not to know exactly what various things will be coming his fighter's way, in various situations, and just as important, Manny trusts him. It may seem corny in the boarish, chest-thumping world of professional boxing, but it is a proven winning combo, and one that has been lacking in many of the corners of Manny's high quality, high profile opponents, including Floyd's.

So, in the end it seems to me that if this fight is made, there will be very big dollars made in both corners, which is as it should be. I just hope that both fighters represent themselves well. Being the one of the two that loves the fight more, and seemingly doesn't need the spotlight, I can't imagine Manny won't. Conversely, having very well bitten off more than he can chew and always craving the spotlight, I fear that Floyd may take his cut of the sizable purse back into retirement, all the while for history's sake wishing he had stayed there. We shall see though. I'm looking forward to it.

mayweather must fight cotto first then the winner will face pacquiao and if the winner is cotto then thats their rematch,mayweather is just mouthy and if happened he face manny hopefully pacquiao knocked him cold in the 1st round because his time was done.its better mayweather go back to WWE thats where he belongs to fight mr.big show n khalli.

Sorry for the dupes. Lameness on my part.

congratulations to new welterwight world champion Manny Pacquiao and MORE POWER TO HIM,GOD BLESS

My take on things: Manny just fought impressively last night, so everyone is latching on.

As a forewarning, both fighters are the best pound for pound fighters, and only a fight between the two will settle the dispute. This fight could honestly go either way. if mayweather brought his "a" game, manny is done for. and if mayweather takes one vicious hit, he is gone too.

But having watched every fight the last 4 years and really watching their tendencies, Manny pacquiao, with his unorthodox fighting style, did leave his chest and body open quite a bit when attacking Cotto. Granted, he did this only after the 3rd round when he was obviously winning. BUT if he were to do this with mayweather, a fighter arguably just as fast if not faster, mayweather would win points on him quickly and easily. Don't fall into that "Mike Tyson" mode where every fight has to end in a knockout. boxing is a point scoring system, and Mayweather plays the sport better than anyone in the sport. So if you remember Hatton almost knocking out Mayweather in the first round, and Mayweather bouncing back and playing very defensively and slowly picking him apart, I can easily see Pacquiao going unorthodox in round 5 trying to get a big hit while he still has energy, and Mayweather stunning Pacquiao with his speed.

Everyone said Hatton's power would take out Mayweather also. Don't forget that although Mayweather didn't knock out De La Hoya or Marquez, he made them human punching bags. DeLaHoya got Parkinson's just by taking the 200 jabs to his head. I remember him looking like a rag doll by round 9.

I would honestly bet on Mayweather for a 12-round decision, and I am NOT a gambling man. I will see again that the fight could go either way, and no one knows. Which is why a Pacuqiao Mayweather fight would be the biggest grossing fight of all time.

Good comments from fite.fan and also from toosmart. You can tell who the real students of the game are on the board.

I'll keep my comments short. I've always been a fan of the Mayweathers (particularly Roger) but after watching Pacquiao completely "beat up" and "break down" a seasoned and battle tested veteran like Cotto, I would have to give Manny the edge over Floyd. I believe he would TKO Floyd (ala Oscar- sitting on the stool between rounds).

I understand and generally agree with Floyd's take that boxing isn't about who can absorb the most punishment- if anything- it's about hit but don't GET hit. To paraphrase Joe Louis from way back though... Floyd will be able to run and play cat-n-mouse waiting for the check hook...but he can't hide from Pacquiao over 12 rounds. Eventually he will get tracked down.

Boxing is on it's way back fight brothers. I'll leave you with a quote that describes how I see a Pacquiao/Mayweather fight going down. In Rocky 2, Apollo asks Duke what he's afraid of in a rematch. Duke cautiously but wisely tells Apollo, "I saw you beat that man like no man I've ever seen beaten... and the man kept coming after you." It appears that Pacquiao is a real-lfe 147 pound version of Rocky- just a damn buzzsaw.

Boxing is coming back everyone- let's get it on!

p.s. who will take on Bob Arum's quote on Pacquiao's place in history? Yes, he's hyping the next fight (and yes, let's leave Ali out of the discussion, he's clearly the greatest) but would Sugar Ray Leonard be able to handle Pacquiao? Or how's this for a trench war at 147... Pacquiao v. Duran?

Unless there is a surprise knockout or a serious mistake made, Pacquiao will win.

Period.

Frenetic and powerful versus scientific and selective. Both have speed, Floyd, more. Both have power, Pac, more. A good left hook or few will surprise Pac and drop Pac or turn it into an all out riot where Floyd will bide his time behind his solid defense to repeat the process. A solid right hook or left cross might put Floyd on the canvas and force him to run and fight from a peek a boo which will result in a Pacquiao decision. Both scenarios may occur to make it an Ali-Frazier III type of night or Ali Frazier I, with Pac being Frazier. Don't let Floyd find his comfort zone and dance and pick his shots. Don't let Pac charge on and land any succesive blows. The former is more likely. Pac will have to pace his attack or make adjustments in the fight which he has not yet had to do and could mean some major problems for him. Tactically the fight is in Maywather's favor. If somehow is turns out to be the typical Pac slug match, Pac has the advantage. Then, maybe Mayweather will put a kink in it all and fight Mosley instead or rack up more money on less dangerous challenges. Pac may have to use some real uncharacteristic tactics to make this fight happen. Bob Arum will do the talking in that case. Finally a fight for the ages, like in the 70s and 80s.

SLQ,

I respectfully disagree with your comments. Margerito beat Cotto to a pulp. Pacquiao simply did the same thing. Mayweather beat De La Hoya, then Pac did similar to people beating Tyson at the end of his career. Both beat up Hatton very good.

Mayweather is an athletic wonder, and he would control the fight. He can also take a punch. I just don't see Pacquiao's unorthodox style winning against the most defensive fighter of our time. Remember Sun Tsu - an impenetrable defense doesn't mean you will win, but it means you will never lose. Mayweather in a 12 round decision. I said it here first!

Well now...this is what all fight fans have been waiting for.  The Pacquiao vs. Mayweather matchup has all the makings of a classic.  We may finally get to see who is the best P4P in the ring today.  But there are some details that would have to be ironed out first.

The biggest challege to this fight that I see, is how will the purse be split?  Will either fighter accept less than a 50-50 split?  Will either demand more?  Money is what makes fights happen these days, and Mayweather I think has the upper hand in these negotiations.  He's still the undefeated champion, and will probably accept no less than what Pac is collecting.  If this fight doesn't happen, it'll be because of greed.

My second question is will Pac agree to put on a couple more pounds if necessary to make the fight happen?  I also don't see Mayweather accepting any catch weight conditions.  Not after what happened to Cotto.

Now once all that business talk is taken care of...this will be an amazing boxing match.  Boxing.  As in hit me if you can.  Both of these fighters are quick as lightning, but I feel that Mayweather is the best defensive fighter of the day.  He's gonna dance all night and force Pac to try and chase him to land any power punches.  I'm of the beleif that that's the winning formula for Mayweather.  He can out-box anyone in the world.  Dance and counterpunch.  Throw a combination and move out of the way.  I could see this frustrating the hell out of Pac (he was getting tired of chasing Cotto in the late rounds), and that frustration could leave some openings for Mayweather to land some power shots of his own.

Pacquiao on the other hand looks to have the edge in punch power.  But will he be able to cut off the ring and perhaps get Mayweater against the ropes to land his power punches?  Does Roach even have a formula to defeat Mayweather?  I'm not sure, since no one has done it before.  But if any fighter can, it's Pac.

I sure hope that this fight happens.  Mayweather has no good excuse not to make it happen.  He's doesn't want to be seen as ducking Pac.  Shane Mosely is the X factor in this however.  I'm sure he's itching to take on either one of these guys, and if for some reason Pac/PBF doesn't work out, than look for a Pac vs. Mosely warm up.

Just my random thoughts on the matter.  Prediction: the fight will happen in Spring 2010.  The richest fight of all time.  Mayweather by split decision.