Boxing: Manny Pacquiao Wouldn't Stand a Chance Against Floyd Mayweather, Jr.

There are still plenty of details to work out, but after narrowly defeating Juan Manuel Márquez on Saturday, Manny "Pac-Man" Pacquiao could be well on his way to a dream fight with the undefeated Floyd "Money" Mayweather, Jr..

It would be the most highly anticipated fight in years; and while the money situation still has to be settled, I think both sides realize how huge and how lucrative a matchup between them would be. Because of that, I have confidence that a deal will get done eventually.

The thing is, though, if Pacquiao fights similarly to the way he did against Márquez, then he has no prayer of beating Mayweather. A couple years ago, Mayweather absolutely picked apart a younger and fresher Márquez, while Pacquiao has struggled mightily in all three occasions.

If Pacquiao couldn't figure out Márquez's defensive and counter-punching style, then how is he going to do it against Mayweather, who happens to be the best defensive fighter in the business, as well as one of the quickest?

It is very clear that Pacquiao's aggressive style clashes with fighters who are willing to sit back and goad him into mistakes. He was lucky that the judges awarded him for his aggressiveness against Márquez; but Mayweather has the ability to lay back while still decimating his opponent with counters.

Prior to Pacquiao's fight against Márquez, the consensus was that Pacquiao would have little trouble with Mayweather. I think that misconception has finally been squashed, though, as Mayweather knocked out the much younger Victor Ortiz while Pacquiao escaped with a win over Márquez.

That isn't to say that Pacquiao wouldn't give Mayweather a good fight, because he would. But he won't be able to get away with looking lost like he did against Márquez. The reason being that the judges are much more likely to give Mayweather the benefit of the doubt than they did Márquez.

Pacquiao appeared to be befuddled for much of the fight against Márquez and struggled to land clean shots. That should happen to an even greater degree against Mayweather. Even so, Pacquiao shouldn't avoid Mayweather, as a win could cement him as an all-time great.

Ultimately, though, I don't see any way Pacquiao can defeat Mayweather, since Mayweather is five times the fighter Márquez is currently. Perhaps trainer Freddie Roach will have some tricks up his sleeve. But if Pac-Man's strategy doesn't change drastically, Mayweather will pick him apart should the fight take place.