Mayweather vs. Pacquiao Early Fight Odds and Scorecard Predictions

For at least one weekend, the world of boxing will return to its heyday, as the fight of the century between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao marks the main event of an absolutely loaded weekend in sports.

The NFL draft, the NBA playoffs, the NHL playoffs and the Kentucky Derby are all gracing viewers' television sets over the weekend, but they will take a back seat around 9 p.m. ET Saturday night. Sports snobs won't want to miss a fight that will be central to the legacies of two of the best boxers of this generation.

But even for the casual fan, Saturday night's fight transcends typical boxing lore. Mayweather and Pacquiao have transcended the combative sport they participate in to become social icons, which has polarized supporters of either side much more than the X's and O's of the fight itself.

For a fight that's been in the works for five years, the talk got cheap some time ago, as told by both boxers' refusals to trash-talk. Here's a look at the current odds, according to Odds Shark.

Bet	Odds	Odds
Odds to Win	Mayweather 11-25	Pacquiao 7-4
Will Fight Go the Distance?	Yes 33-100	No 23-10

The magnitude of this fight goes without saying, but who will prevail? That's much tougher to put a finger on.

Mayweather hasn't been tested by a fighter near his caliber in years, and he looked far from his best in recent bouts with Saul Alvarez and Marcos Maidana. But that's not to say he has been seriously tested lately, as his controversial 2011 bout with Victor Ortiz was the last time he was questioned in the ring.

With that said, Money May has seemed lethargic early on in the majority of his recent fights—often allowing his opponent to outwork him while relying on his defense. That may be a part of his plan, but that will spell trouble against the ultra-aggressive Pacquiao.

As ESPN Stats & Info showed, the undefeated boxer is the one more susceptible to being pushed against the ropes:

Mayweather critics have pointed toward Pacquiao's tenacious fighting style and quick hands as the undefeated champion's potential downfall. If the 36-year-old can turn back the clock and channel some of the fire he fought Oscar De La Hoya with, Mayweather will be in trouble.

De La Hoya said the following on HBO's The Legends Speak, per Bad Left Hook:

"

You ever have a fly in front of you, you can't catch it, and you're, like, "Please go away"? Manny Pacquiao was like that for eight rounds. He would throw punches in bunches, and he was landing everything. I just couldn't throw back. ... He was so relentless. Jim, I was at one point, had him in the center of the ring. He was wide open, and I could see the shot, but I just couldn't pull the trigger.

"

These are the sorts of strengths thousands of Pacquiao fans have been clamoring for Mayweather to go up against in the ring, and he finally will. But it's hard to ignore that Pacquiao fought De La Hoya in 2008.

Since then, Pacquiao has lost two fights—albeit one controversially. He also hasn't knocked out an opponent since 2009 after winning six of eight decisions by knockout during the mid- to late 2000s. 

Of course, Pacquiao has since looked to rekindle his fighting style with a revenge win over Timothy Bradley and a dominant performance against the overmatched Chris Algieri. He's coming into Saturday brimming with confidence and fire.

But unfortunately for Pacquiao's camp, it's not five years ago—it's 2015. While Pac-Man has suffered tough losses and refocused his career in that time, Mayweather has been fine-tuning his game to suit his age.

Simply put, Mayweather is more capable of executing his style for 12 rounds than Pacquiao—who is sure to become exhausted as the rounds wear along. He will start out hot and put the pressure on Money May, but it won't end in an upset.

Scorecard predictions: Mayweather wins by unanimous decision, 116-112, 115-113, 116-112