Three Fights, Six Big Names: Who Will Impress Us the Most?
Many of the sport’s biggest attractions are in action this fall, as fight fans will be treated to competitive match-ups headlined by the trio of Floyd Mayweather vs. Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, Manny Pacquiao vs. Brandon Rios, and Juan Manuel Marquez vs. Timothy Bradley.
Together, that group make’s about a third of our top 15 pound for pound rankings, with only “Bam Bam” not making the cut. Clearly, there will be a great deal of star power and skill on display, but of these six fighters, who’s in the best position to put on the most impressive performance?
Floyd Mayweather
- Why he will shine: He’s the best fighter in the world, he’s still unbeaten, and he’s still near the top of his game. He’s also facing a fighter who has never taken on anybody near his caliber.
- Why he won’t: Canelo is young, big, strong and confident. Additionally, Mayweather is content to cruise to a decision instead of applying pressure and going for the more impressive stoppage victory.
Canelo Alvarez
- Why he will shine: Canelo doesn’t know how to lose, and he’ll be on the biggest stage of the sport. Fans will raucously cheer each punch he throws, and he could be powerful enough to walk through Mayweather’s defensive jabs.
- Why he won’t: You can’t prepare for the technical wizardry of Mayweather in the ring, who could pick Canelo apart and shut him down before the fight even gets going.
Manny Pacquiao
- Why he will shine: Pacquiao rarely is in a bad fight. Rios is never in a bad fight, and he’s also there to be hit — early, often and hard. Pacquiao also has a huge edge in speed.
- Why he won’t: Rios is as tough and aggressive as they come. The early onslaught from Rios could spell disaster for Pacquiao, and take him out of the fight physically and/or mentally following his devastating knockout defeat.
Brandon Rios
- Why he will shine: He’s going up against a huge name clearly on the downslide of his career. One big punch could close out the show against a “chinny” Pacquiao.
- Why he won’t: Rios will be hard-pressed to make up the difference in skill, speed, experience and tactics, Pacquiao could simply be at a higher level.
Juan Manuel Marquez
- Why he will shine: The master counter-puncher should find Bradley an easy target. His age won’t bother him against a guy like Bradley who’s not a speedster, doesn’t run and doesn’t drive up the work rate.
- Why he won’t: Nobody really looks good against Timothy Bradley, and all signs point to this becoming an ugly, rough and tumble, inside affair.
Timothy Bradley
- Why he will shine: Timothy Bradley always finds a way to win. Even in the one case where he actually deserved to lose. He’s tough, he’s a physical specimen, he can do it all, and he won’t be intimidated by Marquez.
- Why he won’t: Bradley can be his own worst enemy. He may try to stubbornly continue attacking and walking right in, even as Marquez continues to light him up and circle away unscathed. A mugging-style victory won’t be impressive, either.
So, Who Shines the Brightest?
Manny Pacquiao.
Even coming off a crushing knockout defeat, the skill differential between Pacquiao and Rios is by far the greatest gap between any of these pairings. Unless you think he’s absolutely toast at this point, and I don’t, then you have to believe that Pacquiao will quickly outclass Rios. It’ll be a a fun, bloody affair, with Pacquiao scoring a mid-rounds stoppage victory and positioning himself to take on the winner of Marquez vs. Bradley, if he chooses to go in that direction.
