Mayweather vs. Pacquiao: Money Should Ignore Urge to Fight Toe-to-Toe Battle

On May 2, Floyd "Money" Mayweather Jr. should avoid a toe-to-toe battle with Manny Pacquiao. It's not because he's afraid of him, or not tough enough; it's just a senseless game plan. If LeBron James were going to play former NBA great and three-point shooting legend Reggie Miller in one-on-one, it wouldn't be smart for James to decide to engage his foe in a long-distance shootout.

James is a pretty decent three-point shooter who can get hot from time to time but adopting that game plan would only be giving Miller a chance to beat him. James could use his speed and power to make that game a lot easier.

The same can be said for Mayweather vs. Pacquiao. If Mayweather were to decide to trade with Pacquiao, he'd only be increasing Pac-Man's chances of beating him.

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Why would Money do that? I know...to appease his critics who say Mayweather won't fight in a phone booth, or he does too much moving in general for their liking. Perhaps it would be to satisfy a guy like Buboy Fernandez. Who is Buboy Fernandez, you ask?

He's Pacquiao's helper/assistant trainer. In the video below, he challenges Mayweather to fight Pacquiao in a toe-to-toe battle. 

Here's the thing: The only people who are asking that Mayweather beat Pacquiao at what most presume is his own game are people who aren't Money fans. To attempt to shut up or satisfy them would be a losing battle. An athlete's critics will very rarely change their opinion.

Mayweather isn't likely to pick up any new fans. He's at the end of his career, and he's already the personality and polarizing athlete he's going to be. Love him or hate him, it's too late to convert critics.

Part of what makes boxing such a fascinating sport is seeing two fighters in the ring with different skills and strategies. It's a chess match where one fighter is trying to impose his will and style on his opponent. Each fighter is looking to dictate the identity of the fight.

In this case, Mayweather wants a controlled bout with one-sided flurries that he engineers. Pacquiao would much rather have both fighters throw caution to the wind and engage in a slugfest. More than likely, Pacquiao and his team believe they would win that type of fight.

With that being said, why would Mayweather give them what they wanted? 

Some people might say: "A real champion will take on anyone and fight any kind of fight." That couldn't be further from the truth. How many times do you think Rocky Marciano decided to get on his toes and try to outbox an opponent?

Marciano was a brawler/slugger with excellent power. He came to stop his opponent whenever possible. Because of his skill set, he was able to impose his will and finish his career undefeated. Mayweather's style is different, but the concept is the same. 

If he loses, he should go down because his opponent won't allow him to use his style, or because the other fighter was better at implementing his game plan; not because he was trying to quiet the haters.

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