Amir Khan's #MayPac analysis & verdict

Obviously three, maybe four years ago, it might have been a bigger fight, as since they’ve both got to the very top, Manny has lost twice.

Mayweather is still unbeaten but many people have thought all along that Pacquiao can be the person to beat him.

Only time will tell but I think what makes this fight so exciting is that Manny has a style that Mayweather has not really faced before, with his hand speed, movement and his explosiveness. And then there’s Freddie Roach in Manny’s corner who has unfinished business after losing to Mayweather when training Oscar De La Hoya.

You have all these great storylines and we get to watch it all unfold. I think you’d have to say the pressure is mainly on Mayweather, because of the unbeaten record and because the majority of people are probably expecting him to win this fight.

Then again, Manny is carrying the hopes of a lot of people and there are also many tipping him to win.

So I think there’s a lot of pressure on both guys because of what is at stake. Whoever wins this fight is going to go down in history.

They will be talked about forever, so it’s a huge fight for both of them and I am sure there will be nerves on both sides.

The key for Manny

Stick to the gameplan 
Manny must stay calm and listen to instructions. Freddie will have a gameplan and he must follow it, not get too excited and rush in. 

That’s when he makes mistakes, when he starts looking for that big shot, if he does that then it will be hard for him.

He has to listen to his corner, use that jab, that in and out movement, which can be very effective against bigger guys. He’s got to be calm, box and move.

Win the early rounds 
It’s really important he starts fast and I think he can do that. Mayweather has a style which is a bit calmer.

Manny is a southpaw, he’s quite short and moves well, so he’ll be hard to hit early on. As long as he keeps to that in and out movement and doesn’t stay in the pocket too long then he can build a lead. 

Don’t try and force the KO 
You never really see Floyd hurt. The last time was against Shane Mosley from that one big shot he took. Does Manny have the skills to really hurt him, the power to hurt him?

In the last few fights I have not really seen the power that he showed in the earlier fights against the likes of Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito. And when he rushes in looking for that knockout blow is when he has no defence and is most vulnerable. 

PHOTO: @MannyPacquiao’s boxing shoes for Mayweather fight http://t.co/tJnttmBEU2 #MayPac #KwentoNiPacman @Alaxan_FR pic.twitter.com/69wMyJ3oRD

— Rappler (@rapplerdotcom) April 30, 2015

Build pressure and always be on the move
As soon as Pacquiao stands in one place then he is going to get tagged. Mayweather is just going to hit you, you can’t let him settle, and that’s why Manny must keep moving. 

I think the gameplan he will have in the fight is to put pressure on Mayweather, throwing shots from different angles, keeping his head moving and not stopping in one place. 

The keys for Floyd

Steal the rounds
I think Mayweather will do what he always does, and that is pick his punches and steal the rounds. He’ll throw those single shots, catch Pacquiao off guard and always try and stay one step ahead.

Be as accurate as ever
Again, it is trademark Mayweather, but he has to be as accurate as he has in the past. His pace isn’t the quickest but his accuracy rate is so high.

He might only throw 30 punches, but of those 30 he might land 20-25. And that could be hard for Manny because he’ll think he has a chance, see an opportunity and then keep getting tagged coming in. If Mayweather establishes that sort of pattern then he’ll win most of the rounds.

Make Manny miss
When Manny throws a combination he always keeps his head up in air and he throws the combination while moving forward with no defence. So what Floyd might do is step back and catch him while he is finishing off the combination and not able to defend himself.

A lot of the people who have had success against Pacquiao in the past have been the guys who have consistently made him miss.

The corners
Freddie Roach got really close when he trained De La Hoya against Mayweather – maybe Oscar lost by a couple of rounds – whereas this time Freddie will feel that he knows how to beat this guy, and that his fighter will do it.

Freddie always said he felt there were two people who could beat Mayweather and that was Manny and me, and he still says that. I think in general, the style Freddie teaches his fighters is the style to beat Mayweather.

That’s with that high volume of punches, handspeed, power, explosiveness and great movement. These are the things that will give Mayweather problems.

For Mayweather, he has his father and coach in his corner and Floyd Senior will be a major factor in the fight. He knows what his son can do and will have devised what they think will be a winning strategy.

They’ve shown before that as a combination they are hard to beat and if they get their gameplan off to a tee then it could be hard for Manny.

Amir’s verdict
I see Manny winning the early rounds as I think he will have the higher punch-rate, he will be fresh early on and he will catch Mayweather with a few shots. Even if he doesn’t catch him cleanly then he will put so much pressure on that the judges will give him most of the rounds.

With Floyd maybe nicking one or two then I think it could reach the halfway stage with Pacquiao about 4-2 up. But after that the momentum will shift and I can see Mayweather taking over in the second half of the fight and winning the majority if not all of the last six rounds.

So when it’s all over I believe Mayweather will have won by around eight rounds to four.

Mayweather 116 v Pacquiao 112