Mayweather vs. Pacquiao Fight Odds, TV Coverage and Projections

The day five years in the making has arrived. Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao will finally put an end to the bottomless hype and talk, stepping into the ring Saturday night for boxing's biggest fight in many years.

Mayweather's undefeated record will be put to the test by Pacquiao, who has been hailed as the perfect style of unorthodox southpaw to give the biggest star in fighting a run for his money. Oh, and speaking of the money, there will be hundreds of millions to go around no matter who emerges victorious.

But for the general public, this fight isn't about the money. And while a nice payday is on the horizon, it shouldn't be about that for either of the boxers, who each will have the chance to put what's likely to be the lasting image of their legacy on the table in front of the world.

Read on below for last-minute info on the fight.

TV Information

Watch: HBO and Showtime (pay-per-view)

Date: Saturday, May 2

Start Time (ET): 9 p.m. (main event introductions approximately midnight)

Mayweather vs. Pacquiao Fight Odds

Bet	Odds
Winner of fight	Mayweather 12-25, Pacquiao 17-10
Over/under 11.5 rounds	Over 8-25, Under 12-5

Odds courtesy of Odds Shark

Jamie Squire/Getty Images

As surreal as it is, the most talked-about fight in boxing over the past decade is on the cusp of actually happening. 

There are folks who say it's coming five years too late, and perhaps they are right. But there's no doubting that the two best non-heavyweight boxers of this generation are about to enter the ring together, and there's little doubt they can still put on a show.

And if they can't, then you certainly can't tell by the gaudy numbers the fight is set to rake in. According to projections by ESPN Stats and Info, Mayweather is going to make more than the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year in a matter of seconds:

That's great and all, but the money comes with a catch. Mayweather puts his lifelong legacy of an undefeated record on the line against one of the only living and active boxers near his weight capable of ending it.

Pacquiao may not be the fighter he was five years ago, but he's more than capable of giving Mayweather a run for his money—or at least his title belt, since most of the cash is already decided upon.

If there's one style of boxer Mayweather has struggled with in his career, it's definitely the southpaw. Oscar De La Hoya had Mayweather on the ropes in 2007 before slipping late, and Miguel Cotto gave Money May one of his toughest tests as recently as 2012.

De La Hoya explained to Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News how Pacquiao can frustrate Mayweather early:

"

I believe that what Pacquiao brings to the table and what he has to accomplish is deflate that balloon. He has to go out there and win the first few rounds and make Mayweather doubt himself, and make him come back from behind, and make him fight, make him engage... It depends on how Mayweather adjusts and it depends how Pacquiao comes out swinging the first few rounds.

"

If Pacquiao is to do that, he will have to land his punches early against arguably the fastest defensive fighter in boxing history. If he throws punches like his career stats suggest, he should be in good shape, as ESPN noted:

Pacquiao will be shot out of a cannon early on as he looks to set the tempo, knowing he cannot win in any other way. But after that will come the indelible task of not just hanging with him for the rest of the fight, but also successfully wearing down his opponent down the stretch.

The problem? Mayweather hasn't just been good after starting the first few rounds from behind. He's been unstoppable, often allowing the opponent to dip into his energy reserves before countering with his powerful jabs and pinpointing the right time to attack.

For that reason, Pacquiao's early-career ability to knock out his foes loomed large as his key to winning the fight. But he's gotten away from that as of late, and that could put him behind the eight-ball in the latter rounds, as Ian Darke observed:

We can only imagine how this fight would have unfolded five years ago. But right now, it's hard to look at Pacquiao's recent results and see any way he hangs with Mayweather for all 12 rounds.

Pac-Man's southpaw nature and aggressive style figures to give Mayweather a tough early test, but it won't last into the late rounds. By then, Money May will have regained his footing and will be taking advantage of every opportunity to batter Pacquiao and wear him down.

By Round 12, Mayweather will have exhausted Pacquiao with his defense and secured a unanimous win.

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