Mayweather vs. Pacquiao Predictions: Early Scorecard Projections for Superfight

The wait is almost over. Saturday will see Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao finally meet in the ring.

May 2's fight between the two generation-defining fighters looked like it might never happen, but it is now less than a week away.

On the line for the American is his 47-0 record and his WBC, WBA and Ring welterweight titles.

Jae C. Hong/Associated Press

For Pacquiao, the current WBO welterweight champion, he has a chance for a career-defining victory to confirm he is one of the all-time greats.

Expected to be the richest fight in boxing history, the bout between two giants of the sport at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas is sure to be a blockbuster occasion.

But who will prevail? And how? Will there be a knockout, or will it go the distance?

The likelihood is that the fight will go to the cards, with a victory inside 12 rounds not expected.

ESPN Stats & Info shows that knockouts have not been prevalent in either fighter's recent contests:

Pac-Man will be more aggressive, as is his style, but the likelihood that he can get through Mayweather's famously solid defence and land a knockout punch is low.

Mayweather surely will plan for the decision, as he has so often done in his career, and he will most likely prevail.

A master tactician, Money knows how to win fights, as proved in his 47 previous professional outings, all of which have ended in victory.

And he is the favourite to make it 48 in Las Vegas on Saturday, with Mayweather by decision the shortest odds for the fight's result, per boxing writer Eric Raskin:

Expect it to be close. Pacquiao will come flying out of the blocks and edge the opening exchanges, but Mayweather's class will show through.

The judges on the night will be Burt Clements, Dave Moretti and Glenn Feldman, per Anthony Riccobono of the International Business Times, and one of them could score the fight a draw.

However, Mayweather is the favourite for a reason. He has never lost a fight, and barring an unlikely knockout blow from Pacquiao, the judges will give the 38-year-old the victory.

He is a boxer of unmatched excellence in the modern era, and Mayweather will have the ability to put aside the huge hype and keep his unbeaten record intact.

Scorecard prediction: Mayweather wins by majority decision 114-114, 115-113, 116-112