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.
2013: A New Network and a Return
May 4, 2013
Floyd Mayweather (43-0, 26 KO, WBC, Ring Magazine/TBRB #1, Lineal) vs. Robert Guerrero (31-1-1, 18 KO, Ring Magazine #3/TBRB #5)
The Fight: Guerrero was officially unbeaten since a loss at Featherweight in 2005. A defeat at the hands of Orlando Salido in 2006 was changed to a “No Contest” when Salido failed a test for PEDs. Guerrero won titles at Featherweight and Jr. Lightweight, an interim title at Lightweight, and won the interim WBC Welterweight belt in 2012 with a decision over Selcuk Aydin. Guerrero secured a shot at Mayweather with an entertaining decision win against former WBC Welterweight titlist Andre Berto. The build for the fight was marked by big talk between the trainers of both men, their fathers. Floyd Mayweather Sr. returned to his son’s corner for the first time in over a decade.
The southpaw Guerrero came out aggressive in the first two rounds. Occasional right hands encouraged the upset hopes of the crowd but it was the quicker Mayweather landing more. Lead right hands and left hooks were balanced with movement and effective blocking in close. Mayweather was quickly in a groove.
Guerrero did some work in the fourth with Floyd against the ropes, digging lefts to the body. He couldn’t find the head and Mayweather didn’t stay still long. Elusive defensively, and more accurate offensively, Mayweather’s lead right hand took over the fight and Guerrero was in a hole at the halfway mark.
The hole got deeper. Missing badly when he went upstairs, Guerrero was increasingly beaten up. In the eighth, Mayweather opened a cut over the left eye of Guerrero and hurt him with a right hand late. Continuing to win rounds, Mayweather put on a show in the eleventh. Slipping, countering, and opening with lead rights and lefts, Mayweather was near flawless for three minutes. Guerrero kept coming forward for the last three minutes but there would no turn of fortune.
The decision was a formality, Mayweather winning 9-3 (or 117-111) on all three scorecards.
Historical Note: Mayweather shook up the business of boxing by leaving HBO for Showtime between his fights with Miguel Cotto and Guerrero. Mayweather agreed to a six-fight, three-year deal with Showtime.
Ring Magazine recognized the winner as their Welterweight champion. While Guerrero was rated third, Mayweather already had a lopsided victory over their then second rated contender, Juan Manuel Marquez. While no official number was ever released, Showtime claimed the fight hit the million-buy mark .
Outcome: Mayweather UD12 Guerrero
Mayweather Record in Title Fights: 22-0, 10 KO including lineal (21-0, 10 KO, WBC/WBA/IBF/WBO only)
September 14, 2013
Saul Alvarez (42-0-1, 30 KO, WBC/WBA/Ring Magazine Champion, TBRB #1) vs. Floyd Mayweather (44-0, 26 KO, WBA Super, Ring Magazine#1/TBRB #2)
The Fight: Mayweather maintained his lofty status and WBA “Super” title at Jr. Middleweight after his win over Miguel Cotto despite returning to Welterweight to face Guerrero. “Canelo” Alvarez had been steadily built to stardom. He won the vacant WBC belt at 154 lbs. with a knockout of Matthew Hatton in 2011 and defended five times before breaking through with his biggest win in April 2013. Matched with Austin Trout, who won a WBA ‘regular’ title with a decision over Miguel Cotto in 2012, Alvarez scored a knockdown en route to a decision win. It would be Mayweather’s first unification bout in any weight class.
The first round was a feeling out session. Both men sought to establish their jabs. Mayweather landed a good lead right; the 23-year old Alvarez knocked Mayweather off balance with a left hook. Alvarez had a better second round, finding Mayweather with long rights to the body and a left to the head late.
Alvarez had some more success early and late in the third, Mayweather responding with some eye catching head shots in between. In the fourth, Alvarez went low in a clinch and received a warning as Mayweather took a moment to recover. When action resumed, Mayweather went to touch gloves. Alvarez, having seen the Mosley and Ortiz fights, did not oblige. They competed on close terms down the stretch, Mayweather closing stronger.
While Alvarez had moments in the fifth, precision punching and better body defense was the difference in Mayweather’s best round to then. Alvarez received another warning in the sixth for throwing a shoulder at Mayweather in a clinch. Alvarez again refused to touch gloves. Still having some luck with the jab and single shots, Alvarez was increasingly being made to miss as the fight hit the halfway mark.
A somewhat winded Alvarez was raked along the ropes late in round seven, firing back to slow down a stream of Mayweather offense. The younger man rallied a bit in the eighth, landing some excellent body shots. Mayweather used his legs and came back with peppering combinations upstairs.
There would be only token offense for a flagging Alvarez in the last four rounds. With his left eye bruised, he landed a big right along the ropes in the tenth and received a warning for hitting behind the back along the way. Late in the eleventh, Alvarez missed a right badly, striking the ring ropes as Mayweather scooted away. Mocking his foe, Mayweather stopped and looked back at the ropes before resuming his steady outboxing of Alvarez.
In the final round, Alvarez could do little to break the rhythm of Mayweather and never really went for broke with the fight seemingly out of range. A head scratching even score from CJ Ross would spark considerable controversy, overruled by tallies of 116-112 (8-4) and 117-111 (9-3) for Mayweather.
Historical Note: At 36 years old, Mayweather joined Pacquiao as the only two men in boxing history to win lineal crowns in four separate weight divisions. How one settles on the history can vary.
Ring Magazine recognized the winner of Alvarez-Trout as their Jr. Middleweight champion. This was despite both men being rated behind Mayweather in the publication going into the fight (Alvarez 2, Trout 3). TBRB (established in 2012 and on which the author was a founder) waited for the Mayweather-Alvarez showdown.
By unofficial process of elimination between Mayweather, Cotto, Trout, and Alvarez, Alvarez-Trout was at least enough to crystallize Mayweather and Alvarez as the top two in the class. Mayweather’s win made him the first genuine champion at Jr. Middleweight since Winky Wright had vacated the throne in November 2005. Mayweather remains the lineal champion at 154 lbs. to the present.
Ross’s scorecard shed new light on her career, and not in a positive way. Combined with her previous controversial tab in Bradley-Pacquiao I, her officiating credibility was called into question across social and mainstream media. She would step down as an official in the days after the fight.
Mayweather-Alvarez was a monster financial success, becoming the second biggest pay-per-view show of all time in terms of buys at 2.2 million . That was just shy of the record 2.4 million buys mark Mayweather generated with Oscar De La Hoya. Mayweather would be named the BWAA Fighter of the Year for 2013, sharing honors with Ring Magazine Fighter of the Year Adonis Stevenson in a rare split.
The last time the two entities had split was in 1998 when Mayweather was hailed by Ring and Shane Mosley by the BWAA.
Outcome: Mayweather MD12 Alvarez
Mayweather Record in Title Fights: 23-0, 10 KO including lineal (22-0, 10 KO, WBC/WBA/IBF/WBO only)
November 24, 2013
Manny Pacquiao (54-5-2, 38 KO, Ring Magazine/TBRB #4) vs. Brandon Rios (31-1-1, 23 KO, Ring Magazine #7/TBRB #6 at 140 lbs.); Non-Title
The Fight: Rios, a former WBA Lightweight titlist, moved to 147 lbs. for the fight off of a decision defeat in his second contest with Mike Alvarado in March 2013. It was their second straight fight, Rios winning the first via stoppage. Prior to the two Alvarado fights at 140 lbs., Rios lost his 135 lb. title on the scales. The bout would be the first HBO pay-per-view from Macau, China, and Pacquiao’s first start since his devastating defeat to Juan Manuel Marquez almost one year earlier.
Pacquiao came out behind a high guard and asserted a decided edge in hand speed right away. Rios went to the floor with about a minute left in the first, the referee ruling it a slip. Rios got up and ripped to the body in a clinch but the story of the round was the landing left hand of Pacquiao. Rios was outpointed again in the second but gave Pacquiao good work with a successful focus on the ribs.
Moving, countering, and clinching more than his norm, Pacquiao was in full control of the fight by the fifth. A powerful left buzzed Rios who stuck his tongue out in response. Pacquiao opened a cut over Rios’s left eye in the sixth to further his advantage.
As the round wore on, it was clear Rios would need something special to make a run. Swelling around both eyes never stopped him from trying, occasional offensive moments keeping Pacquiao cognizant of his foe. For Pacquiao’s part, he seemed to be practicing in spots, maintaining defensive responsibility even as he uncorked his typical stream of combinations. It was a solid comeback victory over a game but outclassed foe.
Pacquiao scored a 120-108 shutout on one card and came close on the other two at 119-109 and 118-110.
Historical Note: The fight generated a modest 475,000 buys on pay-per-view, according to USA Today.
Outcome: Pacquiao UD12 Rios
2014: Revenge and an Unexpected Rival
April 12, 2014
Timothy Bradley (31-0, 12 KO, WBO, Ring Magazine #1) vs. Manny Pacquiao (55-5-2, 38 KO, Ring Magazine#3/TBRB #4)
The Fight: Bradley elevated his profile and credibility after his controversial 2012 victory over Pacquiao. In his first title defense at 147 lbs., Bradley survived what would ultimately be hailed in many quarters as the fight of the year against Ruslan Provodnikov in March 2013. As was the case in the first Pacquiao fight, there were critics of the decision in Bradley’s favor but his display of toughness earned fans. In his next defense, Bradley defeated Juan Manuel Marquez for the best victory of his career. The stage was set for a return with Pacquiao.
Both men attempted to establish their jab in the first. An exchange of body shots had them surveying each other until a late pair of right hands for Bradley. Halfway through round two, a Pacquiao left wobbled Bradley. Bradley collected himself and fired back, landing a right in an exciting exchange.
They went to war in round three. Bradley pressed, hammering at the body after an early Pacquiao explosion. A late Pacquiao left stunned Bradley but it only made the American more determined to forge ahead. Bradley rocked Pacquiao backwards with a right in the fourth and outworked him in the fifth, taking a lead on two of three official scorecards.
The pace slowed in the sixth, picking up in the closing seconds as Pacquiao attacked Bradley along the ropes. He trapped Bradley again in the seventh to more severe effect. Working in combination, Pacquiao raised a swelling around the right eye of Bradley but Bradley came back with a right hand late to keep it honest.
Showing some effects of what would later be disclosed as a calf injury suffered earlier in the fight, Bradley seemed to struggle with balance in the eighth and into the ninth. The more precise, quicker punches of Pacquiao weren’t helping. They touched gloves to start the tenth and Bradley started the frame with a flurry. He couldn’t sustain as Pacquiao took over and blasted away.
A hard working Bradley dug deep in the eleventh to try to save his title and undefeated mark, landing some good shots and having his best frame since the fifth. Pacquiao gave his reply in the final round, hurting Bradley with a left in the first minute. An accidental head butt in the final thirty seconds cut Pacquiao over the left eye and they both fired in the closing seconds of an entertaining battle.
Pacquiao would carry the day by scores of 116-112 (8-4) twice and a perhaps too wide 118-110 (10-2). It was arguably Pacquiao’s finest victory since Miguel Cotto in 2009. The hope for a Mayweather-Pacquiao showdown was back on.
Historical Note: At 35, Pacquiao had his second title in the Welterweight division. The pay-per-view numbers were good but below the first bout, at an estimated 750,000 buys .
Outcome: Pacquiao UD12 Bradley
Pacquiao Record in Title Fights: 17-2-2, 11 KO, 1 KOBY including lineal (14-2-2, 8 KO, 1 KOBY, WBC/WBA/IBF/WBO only)
May 3, 2014
Floyd Mayweather (45-0, 26 KO, WBC/Ring Magazine Champion, TBRB #1, Lineal) vs. Marcos Maidana (35-3, 31 KO, WBA, Ring Magazine #8/TBRB #6)
The Fight: Maidana, a former titlist at 140 lbs., scored the biggest win of his career in December 2013. Matched with the undefeated and outspoken Adrien Broner, Maidana scored two knockdowns en route to a decision for the WBA Welterweight title. In doing so, he became a bigger fan favorite than he already was and leapfrogged an Amir Khan assumed to have the inside track for a Mayweather fight.
Jabbing with Mayweather, Maidana had a good first round. A short left to the temple seemed to buzz Mayweather who looked to hold. Maidana, refusing to clinch, landed a chopping right to pin Mayweather on the ropes. Firing wildly to the head and body, Maidana made it physical as Mayweather covered up. They weren’t all landing, but they made a statement and forced Mayweather to fire back with short hooks inside. A blatant Maidana low blow earned him a caution from referee Tony Weeks before the bell.
Mayweather kept some distance to start the second, clipping Maidana with lead rights and counter lefts to the head. It didn’t last, the fight going to the ropes again with both men landing to the body. Mayweather was warned for pushing off with the forearm towards the end of round two. He received another warning in an intense third round, Mayweather landing better at a distance and Maidana hammering the body in close.
It was Maidana’s turn to be warned early in the fourth for rough stuff in a clinch. Mayweather complained to Weeks in the round while Maidana just kept attacking. A clash of heads cut Mayweather over the right eye, the first cut of his professional career. Moving where he could, Mayweather offered the occasional pot shot but was outworked for most of three minutes.
Maidana got away with a ridiculous foul in the fifth on the referee’s blind side moments after landing a big right hand. Clinched up with Mayweather, Maidana lifted a knee towards his foe. A left hook had Mayweather off balance and Maidana landed more rights the body and lefts to the head down the stretch. After five, Maidana appeared to have built a lead on the cards.
They competed on even terms for much of the sixth, both men landing eye-catching shots. Mayweather closed stronger with rights hands in the final minute. Mayweather was fully into a rally in the seventh, touching and tying up Maidana effectively as the output from the Argentine dropped.
A bad low blow from Maidana in the eighth had Mayweather cussing mad. He seemed to slightly outland Maidana in the round and had an even better ninth, finding a home for the right and keeping the fight at a pace that favored him. A closely contested tenth round gave the fight the appearance of being up for grabs with two to go.
Mayweather controlled the first half of the eleventh round but Maidana started to come back with things getting ugly again. A clinch turned into Maidana wrapping Mayweather around the waist and driving him into the ropes. Both men nearly toppled out of the ring. With the crowd cheering, both men had a good final round. Mayweather started out snapping shots and closed with some good right hands while Maidana kept pressing, kept looking to hammer the body.
The second half rally turned out to be enough for Mayweather. While one judge saw it even, Mayweather got the remaining two cards at 116-112 (8-4) and 117-111 (9-3). It was, to the naked eye, the closest Mayweather had come to defeat since his first bout with Jose Luis Castillo in 2002.
Historical Note: Mayweather won his second unification fight in a row and his first at Welterweight, adding yet another strap to his trophy case at age 37. While no official number was given, Sports Illustrated reported the contest pulled in approximately 900,000 purchases on pay-per-view .
Outcome: Mayweather MD12 Maidana
Mayweather Record in Title Fights: 24-0, 10 KO including lineal (23-0, 10 KO, WBC/WBA/IBF/WBO only)
September 3, 2014
Floyd Mayweather (46-0, 26 KO, WBC/WBA/Ring Magazine Champion (147), WBA/WBA/TBRB/Ring Magazine Champion (154), TBRB #1 (147), Lineal) vs. Marcos Maidana (35-4, 31 KO, Ring Magazine/TBRB #5)
The Fight: While most unofficial observers had Mayweather winning, there was enough debate about the closeness of the first fight to warrant a rematch. This time, Mayweather would defend his title claims at both 147 and 154 lbs.
It was a different fight from the start. Recalling Maidana’s success in the early parts of the first fight, Mayweather began with more movement and jabs. A Maidana right caught Mayweather near the ropes and Mayweather clinched before getting back to working the perimeter. By the end of the second, Mayweather was using Maidana’s aggression against him with pinpoint counters.
Maidana got closer in the third, Mayweather clinching more. At the bell, Maidana landed a crushing right hand to rock Mayweather. Mayweather grabbed the ropes to balance himself as he went to his stool, his legs a little stiff, lip bloodied. Maidana attacked early in the fourth, landing an overhand right and getting Mayweather on the ropes where he wanted him. The head was elusive but the body was there and the Argentine took advantage. A countering Mayweather had a good final minute of the round.
The competitiveness of the fight alternated between rounds for a while, though Mayweather appeared to be winning all of them. Mayweather kept Maidana at bay, winning the fifth and seventh with room to spare. In the sixth and eighth, Maidana was able to land more, forcing Mayweather to clinch.
Tired of being held, Maidana did something about it. A high-pitched scream from Mayweather in the final minute of the eighth was followed by accusations that Maidana bit him on the glove. Replays appeared to confirm it but no point was deducted; referee Kenny Bayless said he didn’t see it.
Maidana may have outworked Mayweather in the ninth, Mayweather punching less and clinching more. Comically, Maidana went to the neutral corner at the bell and Mayweather walked over and pointed him in the right direction. Maidana lost a point in the tenth for pushing Mayweather to the floor. It didn’t appear there was an intentional shove as much as a grinding forearm. Maidana attacked to try to get the point back and the Showtime commentary team wondered why Mayweather wasn’t being penalized as he held again.
Mayweather put the fight away, boxing in the eleventh before taking the twelfth off to a chorus of boos. There would be no scoring debate this time around. Mayweather won 116-111 on two cards and 115-113 on the third.
Historical Note: Yahoo reported the rematch bested the first fight on pay-per-view at roughly 925,000 buys.
Outcome: Mayweather UD12 Maidana
Mayweather Record in Title Fights: 25-0, 10 KO including lineal (24-0, 10 KO, WBC/WBA/IBF/WBO only)
November 23, 2014
Manny Pacquiao (56-5-2, 38 KO, WBO, Ring Magazine#1/TBRB #2) vs. Chris Algieri (20-0, 8 KO, WBO, Ring Magazine/TBRB #3 at 140 lbs.)
The Fight: Algieri positioned himself for a big fight with a debated decision over Ruslan Provodnikov for the WBO belt at 140 lbs. in June 2014. Algieri came off the floor twice in the first to outpoint the rugged Russian. It was Pacquiao’s second fight in Macau in three outings.
On his bicycle right away, the taller Algieri was stunned with a right hook as Pacquiao chased. Pacquiao missed plenty as the taller man kept trucking, a cat and mouse game underway. The cat struck in round two, a straight left forcing Algieri to the floor for the first time. Unhurt, Algieri rose and resumed his strategy, jabbing, moving, and looking for chances with the right hand.
Pacquiao’s ability to land in combination increased in the third with Algieri a bit more elusive in the fourth. Algieri sat down and tried to punch a little more in the fifth, his most competitive frame of the fight. He tried it again in the sixth, receiving a warning for low blows and hurtful lefts from Pacquiao for the second knockdown. Pacquiao would drop him again with the left before the round was over.
Pacquiao kept putting rounds in the bank while Algieri stayed on his feet for the next six minutes. In the ninth, Pacquiao changed that with a vicious left, hurting and dropping Algieri for the fourth time. He was forced to a knee moments later for number five. Holding, fleeing, and finally punching back, Algieri made it to the bell.
The only question left was whether Pacquiao could score his first stoppage since Miguel Cotto in 2009. He could not, though he added one last knockdown in the tenth, Algieri sent across the ring on his back like he was on a ‘Slip and Slide.’ At the end of twelve, Pacquiao even added a little Ali shuffle.
Final scores were almost humorously one sided with Pacquiao losing one round on two judges card and posting a shutout on the other at 119-103 twice and 120-102.
The world didn’t know it yet, but the final hurdle to the fight everyone had been waiting for since 2009 was cleared.
Historical Note: As was the case in his previous Macau outing, pay per view numbers were modest. According to Pacquiao’s promoter, Bob Arum, the fight exceeded 400,000 buys while others claimed the number between 350-75,000, according to Sports Illustrated .
Outcome: Pacquiao UD12 Bradley
Pacquiao Record in Title Fights: 18-2-2, 11 KO, 1 KOBY including lineal (15-2-2, 8 KO, 1 KOBY, WBC/WBA/IBF/WBO only)
To be continued…
Previous Installments
Research Note: Records compiled with the use of www.boxrec.com
Cliff Rold is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene, a founding member of the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com
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