Manny Pacquiao versus Floyd Mayweather
T-Minus 2 Days… (probably less if you read this before I update this countdown again!) The Training Camps are almost complete and the tapering down is in progress…. The Weigh-In is just around the corner which marks the Grand Finale in terms of preparations before the Main Event itself – “The Fight of the Century” 
(Please click on the picture above to take you through to the live Dashboard hosted on Tableau Public)
For 6+ years, boxing fans from across the globe have waited for this fight to happen. The endless and tedious, ‘Will-they Won’t-they’ conundrum rattled on and on, far longer than anyone expected, and far longer than it ever should have. New discussions, new demands, purse agreements, drug testing, fight weight, glove weight…. All topics that in one way or another contributed to the fight not happening until now. With all this, the title of ‘The Best Pound-for-Pound Fighter in the World’ is about to be decided either way and just to make it a little more interesting, let’s throw in the estimated $350 million in revenue it is likely to generate. It’s now quite easy to see why everyone is dubbing this ‘The Fight of the Century’. Whoever wins – this has been the most hyped boxing match in recent years and rightly so. Neither fighter needs the money… but boxing as a sport needs this more than anything. Gone are days of the regular Big Fight Weekends. Nothing will surprise its audience (apart from those at ringside whose pockets must feel considerably lighter). We all know each fighter’s capabilities, and are intrigued about both of their tactics going into the spectacle. Everyone has their favourite… it’s now just a case of who will WIN? Mayweather is the supreme fighter with an unblemished professional record of 47-0-0 but… can he cope with Pacquiao’s speed? Can he take Pacquiao’s volume of punches? Can he continue to deal with the pressure of an undefeated record and the possibility of hitting the mat? – And is he past his prime? Pacquiao in his own right is a phenomenal fighter. A sanctioned World Champion over 6 weight divisions throughout his career, but with some blemishes on 57-5-2 record. Have past defeats made him a better fighter? Can he play the long game against Mayweather? Can his speed and stance cause Mayweather to crumble? And is he past his prime? With Mayweather currently favourite at odds of 1/2 and Pacquiao at odds of 2/1 to win outright, this is the closest and best odds for a Mayweather fight in recent years. Looking at the odds for an early stoppage (KO,TKO or DQ), Pacquiao is now favourite at 5/1 vs Mayweather at 13/2. This all may sound weird but this directly correlates to each of the fighter’s careers and how they have won their previous bouts. Mayweather stays for the long game but for Pacquiao it’s all about the knockouts. Further information on each of the fighter’s professional careers can be found on the visualisation above. It provides historical fight data and statistics for each fighter in preparation for this weekend’s showdown. No matter what happens, it’s likely to be an amazing spectacle and hope it can live up to all its expectations. From a personal point of view, I would love to see Manny Pacquiao knock out Floyd Mayweather …… underdogs can still win (remember Rahman beating Lennox Lewis!?)
