Pacquiao doesn’t need a KO to defeat Floyd Jr.

“In boxing you create a strategy to beat each new opponent, it’s just like chess.” LENNOX LEWIS

By Alex P. Vidal

THE trick is to win every round.  

Or majority of the 12 rounds.

There should be no room for error; a ring warrior mustn’t lower his guard during a fierce exchange or he’ll end up crossed-eyed and kissing the canvas.

If the triple (WBA/WBC/WBO) 147-pound championship setto goes the distance without any knockout, Manny Pacquiao will need to score at least 115 in the scorecards of two of the three judges to whip Floyd Mayweather Jr.

A fighter who loses 10-9 each in seven rounds and secures 10-9 win in five rounds accumulates 113. 

If the third judge goes against Pacquiao, the Filipino lefty can still escape with a victory via split decision.

If the same judge agrees with his two colleagues and they all award the fight to Pacquiao, the congressman from Saranggani wins by unanimous decision.

If two of the three judges score draw apiece while the third one favors either Mayweather or Pacquiao, the bout will end up as majority draw.

If one judge sees Pacquiao the winner and the other sides with Mayweather, but the third judge submits a draw, the bout will be declared split draw.

SEVEN

Pacquiao (57-5-2, 38 KOs) has to win 10-9 in at least seven rounds even if he will yield the five to Mayweather Jr. (47-0, 26 KOs)--assuming there will be no knockdowns (a knockdown is automatically equivalent to 10-8).

Winning on points is Team Pacquiao’s plan B.

If Mayweather proves to be a hard nut to crack and won’t hit the canvas, he, too, is probably looking to wrap up the victory on points.

This must be Team Mayweather’s plan A.

Mayweather will endeavor to also win every round and halt Pacquiao, if possible.

Each fighter will hanker to score a KO or TKO victory. It’s a prizefighter’s natural instinct.

He smells blood and is always ready to annihilate his rival at all costs.

To win on points, both Mayweather and Pacquiao must focus on the following: 1. Defense 2. Effective hits 3. Ring generalship.

They may need a “blistering start” and “strong finish” but must not suffer serious cuts in the last four stanzas.

FULL

In high level battles, the protagonists need a full tank and second wind to survive 12 rounds.

With the quality of their training and preparations, Pacquiao and Mayweather appear to be ready to chase each other even for 15 rounds, the original distance of world championship bouts, which was reduced to 12 after the 1982 death of Deuk-koo Kim who suffered a brutal 14^th-round TKO from Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini for the WBA lightweight title in Las Vegas.

Not known as a risky fighter, Mayweather must have devised a different strategy that will confuse Pacquiao, who expects the black American to fight defensively and stay away from the booby traps they invented in the Wild Card gym.   

A better way to out-shuttle and outmaneuver Mayweather is for Pacquiao to follow him inch by inch so he can’t reload and maneuver a counter punch where Mayweather is more dangerous.