Bout can save boxing

DE LA HOYA: IF FIGHT IS DULL IT CAN REALLY AFFECT THE OVERALL IMAGE

Biggest fight in history was some five years in the making.

Las Vegas

When Floyd Mayweather Jnr and Manny Pacquiao enter the ring tomorrow morning (SA time) the stakes could not be higher, even for a bout already labelled the “Fight of the Century.”

The richest fight of all time will give each fighter a multi-million-dollar payday and smash payper-view numbers while eye-popping ticket prices, out of reach for all but the rich and famous, will see the 16 800-seat MGM Grand Garden Arena rival the Super Bowl in gate receipts.

There is a garish championship belt embossed with 3 000 emeralds on the line along with the mythical title of world’s best pound-for-pound fighter, but more significantly, it is a bout that could cement a boxing legacy and a fight on which the future of the sport could hang.

Five-plus years in the making, all the hype and elements are in place to elevate the welterweight showdown into one of those memorable sporting moments.

Or it could be a flop, providing another blow for a sport that is just starting to lift itself back off the canvas.

“This fight has been talked about for so long the anticipation is that now people are really looking forward to it and are willing to pay any price to watch it,” Oscar De La Hoya, one of the few boxers to fight Mayweather and Pacquiao, said. “If this fight is dull, if it’s a dud, then that can really affect the overall game, but if it is an exciting fight, a fight people want to see again, it can take boxing to new heights.”

With tickets on the resale market commanding over $100 000 for ringside seats and close to three million people expected to pay $100 on pay-per-view, the undefeated Mayweather (47-0) and Filipino southpaw (57-5-2) will be expected to produce a spectacle worthy of such princely price tags.

The fight will be a classic match-up of boxing styles.

Considered one of the best defensive fighters of all time, Mayweather is crafty with a superior ring intelligence that has allowed him to survive nearly two decades in the ring by avoiding danger.

In contrast, Pacquiao brings an all-out attacking style to the showdown, a hard puncher capable of landing a knockout shot that could hand Mayweather his first professional defeat.

While the fight is the most anticipated in decades, for most boxing experts it comes a half-decade too late, with both fighters past their prime.

“The ingredients are there and it is because of Pacquiao,” said De La Hoya, who lost to both men.

“We know what Mayweather is going to do. We’ve been there, we’ve done that, but the one person who can make this fight an exciting one is Pacquiao.

“He has a relentless style; he will be the one pressing the action.” – Reuters More on Pages 24, 25, 42 & 43.