Manny Pacquaio vs. Floyd Mayweather: 3 Keys to a Pac-Man Victory

If you will, please, take a step into my world.

In my fictional realm of being there is an endless and free supply of hot wings, orange Fanta and beautiful women, all available whenever necessary. In this little world of mines there is no such thing as an NFL or NBA lockout and there definitively isn't a penalty for forgetting an anniversary.

Most importantly, in this created reality of mines, the seemingly simple problems that plague our society everyday, have been cured.

You know like the common cold, allergies, losing the remote and elite super star fighters arguing over semantics to avoid fighting one another.

Yes, you can thank me later, but in my world I have figured out a way in which Mr. "Pretty Boy" Floyd "Money" Mayweather and Mr. Manny "Pac-Man" Pacquiao can finally get past all their idiotic squabbles and give boxing fans the fight of the century.

Because for all the banter, accusations, defamation lawsuits and media pandering, what we really have here is a fight of monumental proportions.

Through this three years of speculation, debate and failed negotiations, what can not be disputed is the greatness, inside the ring, that both Mayweather and Pacquiao posess. While both have shown great bravado and confidence, it must be a daunting task, attempting to find a flaw in their potential opponent. 

Today, we'll take the difficult task of Manny Pacquiao and determine if there is truly a way to defeat, the undefeated, Floyd Mayweather Jr.   

3. Don't Get into a Game of Wits

After three years of waiting, this fight could ultimately evolve itself into an entertainment letdown if Manny Pacquiao become engulfed by a game of feinting, waiting and wits with Floyd Mayweather Jr.

What separates Mayweather from all his other opponents, and yes that includes Pacquiao, is his ability to think, decipher, dissect and defeat his opponent over the course of a 12-round fight.

While it might not be the most entertaining form of pugilism, Mayweather uses his ring generalship to control distance and pace while dissecting and ultimately breaking down his opponent mentally and physically.

Throughout the duration of the fight, Pacquiao must constantly attack with combinations and variances to keep Mayweather from falling into a rhythm and allowing him to dissect a pattern, which Mayweather excells at.

If Pacquiao tries to outbox or out-smart Mayweather, he will become No. 42 on the list of Mayweather victims.    

2. Defensive Improvements

If there could be one criticism of the recent fights of Manny Pacquiao it would be the sloppiness of his defense. 

While Pacquiao has clearly dominated his opponents his penchant for taking punches has left his face looking less than "pretty" in his post fight conferences.

Pacquiao's fight style does account for some of the punches he adsorbs, as the old boxing adage goes "you must take some, to give a lot," but it does not excuse the sloppy footwork and laziness that Pacquiao has displayed against Shane Mosley and Antonio Margarito.

Pacquiao's never been a great defensive fighter and probably never will be. But against a technical genius like Floyd Mayweather, mistakes in footwork or lazy defense can be picked apart time and time again.

A premium on defense will be a key to a Pacquiao victory.

1. Footwork

The greatest asset Manny Pacquaio possess is his Wala Cam worthy foot working ability.

If there has been a supposed flaw in the repertoire of Floyd Mayweather it may have been exposed by Shane Mosley trainer Nazim Richardson.

In a post-fight interview, following the beating his fighter took from Mayweather, Richardson spoke of the one bright moment for his fighter in the May 2010 bout.

Referring to a right hand landed by Mosley in the second round, which wobbled Mayweather, Richardson spoke of the importance of footwork when facing the former pound-for-pound champ.

"See, the right hand landed because of foot placement. I saw saw of Floyd's tendencies and told Shane it was going to be about where his feet were and not his hands".

While Richardson makes it seem as easy as selling drugs to Charlie Sheen, one would have to wonder, if this "flaw" Mayweather has is as blatant as Richardson makes it seem, why has no other trainer pointed it out? Or why wasn't Richardson's own fighter able to exploit it better?

Regardless of those answers it does seem that Manny Pacquiao's greatest chance at handing Mayweather his first defeat would come through the use of great footwork and use of angles.

While often a flawed and irrational series of thinking it is interesting to imagine if Manny Pacquaio is able to exploit the "flaw" in Mayweather's game, that Richardson relayed to Shane Mosley, think of the possibilities for Pacquiao with his vastly greater punching power, hand speed and quicker feet.