Mayweather vs. Ortiz: Manny Pacquiao Will Be Factor in Mayweather Loss

Manny Pacquiao has Floyd Mayweather’s number, and I think he’s in his head as well.

When it’s all said and done. Pacquiao should be a huge reason why Mayweather loses his prime-time bout against Victor Ortiz.

There is no doubt in my mind that Mayweather is far more talk than he is walk. It seems like he has been squawking about how he’s going to take Pacquiao down for years, but I have never seen him come out and back up those words.

Sure, the fight is between Mayweather and Ortiz, but I think Ortiz has the psychological advantage.

Not only does Mayweather have all the pressure of fighting or not fighting Pacquiao over his head, but his time away from boxing has been anything but uneventful. BBC Sport writes more on Mayweather’s drama out of the ring:

"The American, 34, is accused of striking and threatening [former girlfriend Josie Harris], stealing her mobile telephone and threatening their two children.

Mayweather also faces a 1 September trial date on a battery charge for allegedly poking a security guard in the face during a scuffle last November over parking tickets.

Plans for a fight between Mayweather and Pacquiao last March fell through when the Filipino, a six-weight world champion, rejected his opponent's demand for random drug-testing in the build-up to the bout.

Mayweather had said Pacquiao's refusal to undergo blood tests up to the day of their proposed fight meant his rival had something to hide.

It had been hoped their differences could be ironed out, but Mayweather's legal woes have made any match-up even more unlikely.

Mayweather, who is undefeated in 41 fights, has not fought since a dominant points win over fellow American Shane Mosley last May and he has fought only twice since stopping Britain's Ricky Hatton in December 2007."

Like it or not, Mayweather has dug himself into a deep psychological hole coming into his bout with Ortiz.

You could argue that he has enough physical skill to overcome his emotions, but anybody who knows a lick about sports will tell you that most of the game is mind over matter.

That theory becomes even more important in a sport where your opponent is constantly barraging you with punches.

This fight has all the makings of a trap, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Mayweather ends up losing definitively. He’s been dealing with too many distractions and the Pacquiao drama is not helping him.

Mayweather will keep talking trash and calling out Pacquiao even if he loses to Ortiz, but he doesn’t realize that he’s already been beat.

I guess you could say that Pacquiao is so good that he doesn’t even need to fight Mayweather to beat him!

Now that’s greatness.