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by Cliff Rold - On May 2, 2015, boxing will finally have its Super Bowl. After five long years of he said-he said, it’s finally here.
Floyd Mayweather Jr. versus Manny Pacquiao for the Welterweight Championship of the World.
But what if the road didn’t really begin at the negotiating table in late 2009? What if this collision course began just months apart, before anyone could have predicted this finish line?
In the second half of 1998, Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao each won their first major titles and have stayed in or near the championship ranks for almost two decades since. The seeds of a showdown were planted then. They are blossoming now in what will be, even adjusted for inflation, the most profitable and maybe even most watched prizefight ever.
Over the course of this series, we take a look back at the championship years of each man, beginning with each of his first title wins and working our way towards May 2nd. Their development, historical achievements, highs and lows will be reviewed fight by fight with an eye towards the context of each contest.
Where were they in their careers? Using various ratings and historical resources as reference, how were they and each of their opponents regarded at the time of the fights? At the end, a comprehensive statistical review of each man will culminate in a final preview and prediction for the fight itself.
This is Mayweather-Pacquiao: 17 Years to a Superfight.
1999: Mayweather Builds a Reign, Pacquiao Reigns Briefly [Click Here To Read More]
Floyd Mayweather Jr. versus Manny Pacquiao for the Welterweight Championship of the World.
But what if the road didn’t really begin at the negotiating table in late 2009? What if this collision course began just months apart, before anyone could have predicted this finish line?
In the second half of 1998, Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao each won their first major titles and have stayed in or near the championship ranks for almost two decades since. The seeds of a showdown were planted then. They are blossoming now in what will be, even adjusted for inflation, the most profitable and maybe even most watched prizefight ever.
Over the course of this series, we take a look back at the championship years of each man, beginning with each of his first title wins and working our way towards May 2nd. Their development, historical achievements, highs and lows will be reviewed fight by fight with an eye towards the context of each contest.
Where were they in their careers? Using various ratings and historical resources as reference, how were they and each of their opponents regarded at the time of the fights? At the end, a comprehensive statistical review of each man will culminate in a final preview and prediction for the fight itself.
This is Mayweather-Pacquiao: 17 Years to a Superfight.
1999: Mayweather Builds a Reign, Pacquiao Reigns Briefly [Click Here To Read More]
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