Mayweather vs. Pacquiao: Latest Pre-Weigh in Predictions and Odds

Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao. The Fight of This Century. The fight we've waited too long to see. The fight that could completely revitalize boxing in the age of the UFC revolution. The fight that inspires countless superlatives at the beginning of articles. 

Whatever the fight ends up being and whatever place in history it earns, it has boxing fans and casual observers of the sport alike thrilled. Let's break it down. 

When: Saturday, May 2 at 9 p.m. ET

Watch: Pay-Per-View

Odds: Floyd Mayweather (-285) and Manny Pacquiao (+225), according to Odds Shark.

Floyd Mayweather Record: 47-0-0

Manny Pacquiao Record: 57-5-2

Prediction

There are many reasons why I believe Mayweather will win this fight, but the main one is because I think Mayweather would have always won this fight. 

That may sound like gibberish, but hear me out. It's convenient to pick Mayweather now that Pacquiao has hit some rough patches (2012 comes to mind) and his power has diminished somewhat later in his career. Mayweather's defensive, counter-attacking style, meanwhile, has meant he aged a bit more gracefully than Pac-Man. 

That's a completely fair argument to make and one I buy. It's also the argument that Pacquiao supporters—somewhat justifiably, mind you—will lean on if Mayweather wins this fight.

Mayweather protected his undefeated record until he saw Pacquiao's power naturally wane a bit, they'll say.

Pacquiao in his prime, with his heavy punches and unpredictable attacking angles, would have crowed Mayweather like no other opponent could and would have forced him out of his comfort zone to the point that Pac-Man would have won the fight, they'll maintain. 

Maybe. 

It's true that Pacquiao in his prime would have given Mayweather his toughest fight to date. Think the Miguel Cotto fight in 2012, but with Pac-Man at the height of his powers, forcing the issue, pounding Mayweather at every opportunity. 

John Salangsang/Associated Press

Still, I think Mayweather would have beaten him even back then. I think Mayweather's speed, both on his feet and with his hands, his instincts, reaction time, ring awareness, boxing IQ and fitness would have been too much for Pacquiao.

Just like it will be now. 

I think like so many fighters before him, Pacquiao would have thrown the kitchen sink at Money but not only failed to knock him down or hurt him, he'd also fail to land nearly the amount of punches he's accustomed to landing against the non-freaks of nature he's previously faced.

Much like it will be now. 

I think Mayweather's patience and ability to calibrate to his opponent's fighting style, power and speed; his ability to diagnose his opponent's weaknesses; and his uncanny knack for picking the right moment to attack in a match and slowly, methodically dissect his opponent would have been too much for Pacquiao to deal with in his prime. 

Just like it will be now. 

Do you want to know just how convinced I am that Mayweather will win this fight?

I'm picking him to win despite the fact that I would love to see him lose. I have immense respect for Mayweather the boxer and little for Mayweather the man. I don't care for his arrogance or the way he flaunts his money, flapping it around in the face of his less privileged fans. I don't like that he spent time in prison for pleading guilty to domestic abuse. I would love to see Pac-Man beat him.

But I don't think it will happen. Despite whatever opinions I may have about him, I think he's the more talented boxer who has been less affected by age and continues to be one of, if not, the most dominant boxers in the sport's history. Outside of perhaps Lionel Messi with a soccer ball on his foot, nobody is more graceful in sports than Mayweather dancing around his opponent and picking him apart with perfectly timed feints and dekes and jabs and hooks. He's a boxing genius. 

And he'll beat Pac-Man. It won't be easy, it won't be decisive and it certainly won't be anything less than thrilling. But in the end, his arm will be raised for the 48th straight time. 

It's just what he does.