Mayweather vs. Pacquiao Fight Card: Full Lineup and Predictions for Entire Event
From top to bottom, the full card for Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao will leave a lot to be desired for some boxing fans, but the night is ultimately all about Mayweather and Pacquiao finally ending a debate that has been raging for years.
The undercard is mere filler for what may be boxing's last superfight for some time. Sure, tonight's pay-per-view will be a nice showcase for a few boxers who have yet to get a ton of exposure, but the spotlight is firmly on Mayweather and Pacquiao.
Here's a look at the full card, courtesy of BoxRec, and a more in-depth prediction on how three of the bigger bouts will unfold.
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Mayweather vs. Pacquiao Card
| Super Welterweight | Brad Solomon vs. Adrian Granados | Solomon, TKO RD5 |
| Cruiserweight | Andrew Tabiti vs. Anthony Caputo Smith | Tabiti, UD |
| Super Bantamweight | Leo Santa Cruz vs. Jose Cayetano | Santa Cruz, TKO RD6 |
| Super Welterweight | Chris Pearson vs. Said El Harrak | Pearson, KO RD6 |
| Super Middleweight | Jesse Hart vs. Mike Jimenez | Jimenez, UD |
| Featherweight | Vasyl Lomachenko vs. Gamalier Rodriguez | Lomachenko, UD |
| Welterweight | Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao | Mayweather, UD |
Top Fights on the Card
Vasyl Lomachenko vs. Gamalier Rodriguez
Vasyl Lomachenko has a well-earned reputation in the ring based on his amateur accolades and early professional returns.
Carl Moretti, vice president of Top Rank, believes that Lomachenko's stature could grow by leaps and bounds as a result of him being on the undercard for Mayweather-Pacquiao. He drew the parallel to another current star.
"I remember when we did Lewis-Tyson and an ultra-talented lighter weight southpaw was featured on that mega card," Moretti said, per ESPN.com's Dan Rafael. "It was Manny. This has the same type of feeling and we believe it will launch Lomachenko's status, both in and out of the ring."
You can tell exactly what Bob Arum and Top Rank are doing with this fight. Gamalier Rodriguez isn't a complete pushover, but he's not the fighter that Lomachenko is. This is basically an enhancement bout in order to help turn the 27-year-old into a star.
Lomachenko is the total package. He is a sound defensive fighter with great footwork. He can also go right after his opponent with a flurry of combinations. The fight fans who haven't seen the Ukrainian star yet will become well acquainted with him tonight.
Leo Santa Cruz vs. Jose Cayetano
Jose Cayetano will not have had a ton of prep time before he steps into the ring against Leo Santa Cruz, per HBO Boxing:
Steve Kim of the Undisputed Champion Network was a bit dismissive of Cayetano's abilities:
Similar to what Top Rank is doing with Lomachenko, Mayweather Promotions is using the allure of Mayweather vs. Pacquiao to draw attention to Santa Cruz without putting him in much danger.
Of course, Santa Cruz has rarely been tested of late, so whatever the result against Cayetano, his reputation likely won't see much of a boost. Until he fights Guillermo Rigondeaux, many will question just how good Santa Cruz truly is.
The 26-year-old should finish off Cayetano in relatively short order. He's the far better fighter, and with his last two wins coming via TKO, he has shown that he won't needlessly string this fight along.
Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao
With all due respect to the other fighters on the card, this is the fight almost every fan is tuning into the pay-per-view to see.
Many fans wondered if they'd ever see Mayweather and Pacquiao step into the ring against one another. They're two of the best fighters of their generation, and Pacquiao might be the only guy going today who can hand Mayweather his first loss (so long as Mayweather doesn't fight to the point that he's a shell of himself).
Over his last couple of fights, Mayweather has largely followed the same general blueprint. He took a step back in the first couple of rounds and let his opponent dictate the pace. Then, Mayweather slowly sucks the life out of the bout from the middle rounds on.
Robert Guerrero, Canelo Alvarez and Marcos Maidana have all failed to make the most of those first three or four rounds, finding themselves unable to tag Mayweather with any substantial blows. Maidana got close in his first fight with Mayweather, but he was ultimately unsuccessful.
On paper, Pacquiao should pose a tougher challenge to Mayweather than any of those three aforementioned fighters did. Although Pac-Man has lost some of his knockout power, he can seriously damage Mayweather early on.
Plus, there's little doubt as to how Pacquiao will attack Mayweather.
With that said, Mayweather is one of the best defensive fighters ever. His style isn't always a ton of fun to watch, but it's extremely effective. In addition, the 38-year-old has shown little sign that his skills are diminishing.
Mayweather will be wary of Pacquiao's power and gung-ho style. The fight won't be wholly one-sided to Mayweather, but he'll find his groove right around the sixth and begin asserting himself from that point forward in a hard-fought unanimous-decision victory.
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