Boxing trainer Abel Sanchez predicted a victory for Floyd Mayweather over Manny Pacquiao in the highly anticipated super fight scheduled on May 2 at MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Abel Sanchez, famous for training middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin and light heavyweight contender Nadjib Mohammedi, believes Mayweather is too smart for Pacquiao, while the Filipino boxing icon is a fighter prone to costly mistakes inside the ring.
"I still think Mayweather is too smart for Pacquiao," Sanchez said in an interview with BoxingScene. "Pacquiao makes too many mistakes. Pacquiao jumps in, and Mayweather is a heck of a fighter. He's pound for pound the best fighter in the world. I think everybody recognizes that, and I think he's just too smart for him."
Sanchez clarified, though, that Pacquiao, who is known for his speed and punching power, will be a dangerous opponent in the first few rounds. But the 'smart' Mayweather will eventually figure out a way to stop Pacquiao on his tracks, Sanchez added.
"I think the first three or four rounds are going to be very difficult for Floyd to adjust to the speed and adjust to the antics that Manny does," Sanchez said. "But once Floyd figures that out, I think he will have - not an easy time, but a good time in the ring doing the things that he wants to do."
Mayweather, who holds a perfect 47-0 record with 26 victories by knockout, will put his unblemished record on the line along with his World Boxing Council and World Boxing Association middleweight title.
Pacquiao, on the other hand, will put his World Boxing Organization welterweight title on the line and will look to prove that his doubters, who are saying that he does not have what it takes to defeat Mayweather anymore, wrong.
The upcoming super fight is expected to become the richest bout in boxing history. Sanchez believes it could have been bigger had both fighters agreed to face each other several years ago, but he is elated the fight will finally happen.
"I think it's a little too late," Sanchez said. "I think that they're both a little past their prime. But I'm glad it's happening, just so people stop talking about it. Just so that it's over with, and whoever wins will be considered the greatest fighter of our era."
