Lennox Lewis sees an exciting showdown between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather on May 2 in Las Vegas, but the former world heavyweight champion believes the reigning pound-for-pound king has all the tools to remain undefeated after the fight.
Lewis, like most fans and former boxing greats, is excited to see Mayweather and Pacquiao collide after waiting for the fight to happen for several years.
The former undisputed world champion said that fight will not be all hype as fans are expected to get a treat because the fighting styles of Pacquiao and Mayweather are perfect to generate an action-packed showdown.
"Floyd is the best at side-stepping and movement and he's very quick and hard to hit. Pacquiao is a great guy when it comes to offence and trying to break a person down - he's trying to knock you out, so it's a great match-up between styles," Lewis told BBC Radio 5 when asked to give his take on long-awaited super fight.
While he sees a close fight between the two boxing superstars, Lewis predicted a victory for Mayweather. The 49-year-old said Mayweather has all the advantages at this point of their respective careers.
Lewis said that Pacquiao has the determination and heart to pull off an upset, but he is unsure how the Filipino boxing icon will fare based on how he performed in his recent bouts.
"I think Floyd has so much talent and quickness, that natural ability to win," Lewis said. "It really depends on his heart. Pacquiao has a lot of heart. It's difficult but I think Mayweather has all the advantages, that natural ability and rhythm. Pacquiao, you never really know how he's going to come out."
Pacquiao, who holds 57-5-2 record with 38 knockouts and is coming off lopsided unanimous decision win over Chris Algieri in November, will put his World Boxing Organization welterweight title on the line in the upcoming bout.
On the other hand, Mayweather, who boasts a perfect 47-0 record with 28 knockout victories and is coming off two-straight wins over Marcos Maidana, will put his World Boxing Council and World Boxing Association welterweight titles at stake against Pacquiao.
Aside from the welterweight titles from the three boxing bodies, WBC also announced that they are planning to create a special belt to be awarded to the winner of the Cinco de Mayo showdown.
"For this special recognition I would like to have emeralds or platinum, but everything will be defined during the next weeks," WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman said in a statement. "This is because of the magnitude of the event, which will be broadcast via TV networks globally."
