Mayweather vs. Pacquiao: Early Fight Predictions, PPV Schedule and More

Anticipation continues to build as we edge ever closer to the superfight between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, the past decade's two biggest stars in the sport of boxing.

The welterweight battle is expected to break all kinds of pay-per-view records and deliver the biggest purse in boxing history, and as reported by the BBC, fans already know it will be the most expensive bout to watch on PPV.

It should be well worth it, however. The two veterans have dominated the sport for the better part of the last decade, and after years of waiting, fans will finally get to witness the two giants of boxing go head-to-head.

Date: May 2

Start time: The undercard will start at 9 p.m. ET, per CBS Sports, with walkouts for the main card expected around midnight.

Venue: MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas

Here's what the undercard looks like (order to be determined):

Weight	Fight
126 lbs.	Leo Santa Cruz vs. Anthony Settoul
126 lbs.	Vasyl Lomachenko vs. Gamalier Rodriguez
168 lbs.	Jesse Hart vs. Mike Jimenez
154 lbs.	Christopher Pearson vs. Said El Harrak
200 lbs.	Andrew Tabiti vs. Anthony Caputo Smith
154 lbs.	Brad Solomon vs. Adrian Granados

Once every decade or so, a fight comes along that transcends boxing. In case you were still wondering, Saturday's clash is such a fight. As shared by Bleacher Report, the demand for tickets was unreal, and celebrities are doing all sorts of crazy things related to the bout:

Mayweather and Pacquiao are 38 and 36 years old, respectively, and while they still rank at or near the top of boxing's hierarchy, there's little doubt most fans of the sport wish this fight could have happened five years ago.

That's not an excuse to assume Saturday's clash won't be worth it, however. In fact, the sheer quality of the fight may benefit from the delay, as Bob Canobbio of CompuBox discussed with Bleacher Report:

Pacquiao remains an attacking fighter with lightning hand speed, capable of landing the most incredible combinations. Mayweather is still a defensive genius whose shoulder roll technique makes him incredibly hard to hit.

But both fighters have started to show signs of slowing down in the past few years. Money Mayweather no longer moves as much around the ring as he used to, and as a result, he's getting hit more often.

Likewise, Pacquiao hasn't won a fight by stoppage in years. His punches still hurt when they land, but he's no longer the power puncher who ridiculed opponents in his prime.

It makes for an intriguing battle. For the first time in the last decade, we can look at both fighters and spot weaknesses the other might exploit.

Mayweather has a clear advantage in reach over Pacquiao, but so did most of his previous opponents. The pound-for-pound king enters the contest undefeated after 47 bouts and full of confidence, via ESPN.co.uk:

Money has the stamina and hand speed to match Pacquiao, something the Filipino slugger hasn't experienced in years. He has the chin to withstand gruelling punishment and always seems to adapt to the conditions, stealing rounds by the handful toward the middle portion of a fight.

He's never faced a fighter like Pacquiao before, however. Pac-Man's hand speed in particular should be a concern going into the fight. Mayweather has a tendency to lock his feet close to the ropes and use his superb head movement to get out of trouble, but against a guy who throws combinations of more than five punches routinely, that may not be a good idea.

Mayweather has to keep his distance and use his reach to his advantage. His jab will be his best friend on Saturday. For Pacquiao, it will be important not to get frustrated and look for that knockout punch too hard, circumventing Money's ability as a counterpuncher.

Prediction

Looking at Mayweather's lack of stopping power over the course of his career and Pacquiao's tendency to go the distance as well in the past few years, a knockout is unlikely (though certainly not impossible).

Pacquiao's hand speed and movement around the ring should shine through in the early rounds, but Mayweather's ability to adapt has never abandoned him once during his career. Ultimately, expect Mayweather to win a close decision, immediately fuelling talks of a potential rematch.

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