Mayweather vs. Pacquiao: Evander Holyfield Sparks Floyd Conspiracy Theory
Evander Holyfield is convinced Floyd Mayweather Jr. will lose his megafight with Manny Pacquiao because "boxing doesn't want nobody to get out undefeated."
The former undisputed world champion spoke in Atlanta, as reported by Terence Moore for Sports on Earth:
"Mayweather won't win, because from what I've seen, boxing doesn't want nobody to get out [of the sport] undefeated. 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.
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Holyfield proceeded to predict how the May 2 bout will conclude, per Moore:
"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."
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The Real Deal believes boxing executives "set it up" so hefty cash can be accumulated from bouts that capture interest from audiences across the globe. He indicates the only way to retire undefeated is to "trick them."
"It's like this: You have to tell them, 'I'm going to fight 10 more times,' and then when you get to five, you quit," said Holyfield, reported by Moore.
The 52-year-old has certainly provided some of the more memorable quotes in the build-up to the Las Vegas fight. Mayweather's record stands at 47-0 ahead of his long-awaited showdown with Pacman, but he is still contracted to lace up the gloves at least once more when this clash is settled.
Holyfield's suggestion is that Floyd will lose the initial bout and then have a money-spinning opportunity to gain revenge in the next. Considering Mayweather hasn't knocked anyone out since 2011 and Pacquiao last won by felling his foe in 2009, the judge's view is likely to be vital at the conclusion of their contest.
Bleacher Report's Stephen Nelson and CompuBox's Bob Canobbio recently discussed whether the aging pair will put up a better fight now than when it was previously outlined for 2010:
Interestingly, Pacquiao is currently 10-1 to win the fight by unanimous decision, 12-1 by split decision and 20-1 to win by majority vote, per OddsChecker.com. He overcame Timothy Bradley and Chris Algieri by UD in his last two fights, both of whom were unbeaten at the time of stepping into the ring with him.
Mayweather is currently evens to win by a unanimous call, 7-1 by a split decision and 12-1 by the majority, summarised by OddsChecker.com.
Anthony De Rosa of Circa suggests that, no matter what, a ridiculous-sized audience will be ready to watch:
Robert Garcia, who trained Marcos Maidana ahead of his two losses against Mayweather, suggests Pacquiao's best route to victory is remaining busy by applying pressure. His comments were reported by ESNEWS (h/t Dino Maragay of philstar.com):
"I think, just like Maidana did the first time, put all that pressure. Stay on him, don’t give him any time to breathe, that’s the only way. We were close, we almost pulled it off. That’s the only way (to beat Mayweather), what else? Or somebody smarter than him (Mayweather), but there’s nobody out there smarter than him right now.
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Pacquiao certainly can't let his upcoming opponent have time to get comfortable, as this is when Mayweather works at his best. His ability to dissect opponents while keeping himself out of serious danger needs to be tested if we're to see the unbeaten record fall.
Unless Holyfield's prediction turns out to be true, that is.
The legendary boxer certainly adds an interesting subplot to the bout by suggesting a predetermined result will occur. He will be hoping the same isn't true when he steps into the ring with Mitt Romney for charity on May 15.
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