Kung pabor ang mayorya ng mga dating kampeon kay WBC at WBA welterweight king Floyd Mayweather Jr. sa laban kay WBO 147 pounds titlist Manny Pacquiao, may pumanig naman sa Pinoy icon sa katauhan ng isa sa pinakadakilang boksingero na si ex-WBA at IBF light welterweight champion Aaron “Hawk” Pryor ng United States.
Naging kampeon sa loob ng limang taon at nagretirong may rekord na 39-1-0 (win-loss-draw) na may 35 pagwawagi sa knockouts, naniniwala si Pryor na ang walang tigil at agresibong estilo ni Pacquiao ang magpapatigil kay Mayweather.
“I like Pacman. Because he throws a lot of punches and he’s giving it his all. I love Mayweather – he proves himself over and over and over again,” sinabi ni Pryor kay Mark Malinowski ng Examiner.com. “I just want him (Mayweather) to prove himself one more time, for me. For me to be on his side he gotta beat the best. And Pacman is one of the best. Then I’ll say, ‘Yay.’”
Para sa 57-anyos na Hall of Famer, mahihirapan si Mayweather na harapin ang walang puknat na atake ng nag-iisang eight-division world champion sa buong mundo.
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“I like Pacman. I like Pacman in the fight,” ani Pryor. “I think Pacman throws a lot of punches and I don’t think that Pretty Boy Floyd Mayweather…I don’t think Mayweather is gonna be equipped to handle it. That’s just how I feel. But he’s proved himself so many times. But that’s what the fight game is about – every time you fight – prove yourself. I had 11 world title fights. Each time I fought one of those title fights it was about proving myself.”
Bukod kay Pryor, maging ang tinalo ni Pacquiao upang unang matamo ang WBO welterweight title via 12th round TKO noong 2009 na si WBC middleweight titlist Miguel Angel Cotto ng Puerto Rico ay naniniwalang may paglalagyan si Mayweather sa laban sa Mayo 2 sa Las Vegas, Nevada.
Natalo si Cotto sa puntos nang hamunin si Mayweather noong 2012 para sa WBA super welterweight title kaya batid niya ang kakayahan ng dalawang boksingero.
“I’ve been working with Freddie Roach for the last two fights, and I know what he’s capable of doing with Manny,” pahayag ni Cotto sa ESPN. “I think he’s going to get Manny through Floyd’s mistakes. Manny is going to take advantage of… I’m rooting for Manny.”
“I think the explosiveness and quickness of Manny is going to have a big impact on Floyd’s performance. The explosiveness will be an advantage,” dagdag ni Cotto. “He can move from point to point in less than a second.”
