Malaki ang paniniwala ni dating undisputed world heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield na tatalunin ni Manny Pacquiao si pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather sa kanilang $200-M welterweight megabout sa Mayo 2 sa Las Vegas, Nevada.
Sa panayam ng Sports on Earth sa Estados Unidos, hinulaan ni Holyfield na magwawagi si Pacquiao sa desisyon para palasapin ng unang pagkatalo si Mayweather.
“Mayweather won’t win, because from what I’ve seen, boxing doesn’t want nobody to get out [of the sport] undefeated,” diin ni Holyfield. “They want to keep the money in the sport by doing things to make it happen this way: Somebody beats the man, and then somebody beats the man who beat the man, and then somebody beats the man who beat the man who beat the man who beat the man.”
Nilinaw ni Holyfield na magiging manipis ang desisyon kaya inaasahang muling maghaharap ang dalawang boksingero.
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“So I’ll tell you what’s going to happen, because it’s going to be a close fight. Yeah, it’ll be close, and Pacquiao is going to get the decision. Then it’s going to be a matter of whether Mayweather is going to fight again, whether he feels like he has made enough money to say, ‘I ain’t got to fight,’” ani Holyfield. “It’s a good chance Mayweather is not going to hang it up, so there’s going to be another $100 million [fight between Mayweather and Pacquiao] and all like that. [Boxing executives] set it up that way. It’s because they will not let you out of boxing undefeated, not unless you trick them.”
Iginiit naman ni two-division world champion Bernard Hopkins na magwawagi si Mayweather sa kontrobersiyal na desisyon pero mahihirapan sa laban si Mayweather.
“Because of Pacquiao’s style, he will try to overwhelm Mayweather. If [Mayweather] gets through [that first rush], he will defeat him. Mayweather will have to make adjustments, make Pacquiao think before he reacts,” sabi ni Hopkins sa CBS Sports. “If he can, it can be like taking candy from a baby. If he can do that, make adjustments as far as distance. Pacquiao jumps in and out. He’s not [Marcos] Maidana or [Miguel] Cotto. Floyd has to produce more than he has before, in terms of punching. He’s not fighting [Ricky] Hatton. Pacquiao can bring it all night, so Floyd’s jab and counter-punching will be key. I see Floyd making the adjustments. But by no means will this be a cakewalk. Floyd can just as well lose as win. I say Floyd wins by controversial decision.”
