Manny Pacquiao claimed earlier this year that he is a good friend of Metta World Peace, formerly Ron Artest, but the former NBA player is not picking the Filipino boxing icon to win in the biggest fight of his career.
MWP, who was considered by Pacquiao when the boxing champion was searching for reinforcement for his Philippine Basketball Association team, believes Floyd Mayweather will win in the upcoming bout between the two superstars on May 2 at MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
While he pointed out that he is not a boxing expert, MWP thinks Mayweather will be more aggressive than he was in his previous fights instead of just relaying on his vaunted defense. He said, though, that defense will still be a huge factor because Mayweather needs to have it in full display because Pacquiao is expected to throw a lot of punches.
"I see Floyd winning," MWP said. "Manny is going to throw a lot of punches. Floyd, I just can't see him waiting until the later rounds to time him. I don't know. Floyd is a great boxer so I'm not going to act like I know what he's thinking, but as a fan I can see him making Manny think a little bit."
The fight is expected to become the richest fight in boxing history, but most analysts believe that the fight could have been bigger if it was finalized several years ago.
Unlike most fans and boxing personalities, MWP believes that fight will still live up to expectations even if both fighters are already past their prime. He is expecting an action-packed fight because he is convinced both fighters will go toe-to-toe against each other to give boxing fans a treat.
"Pacquiao is not going to run. Floyd is not going to run," said MWP, who also revealed that he will be in attendance at MGM Grand Arena on fight night. "Neither of these fighters is going to run. Floyd, I don't know what he's going to do, you know. I'm not in his training camp or nothing', he's going to stay in the pocket."
Mayweather, who holds a perfect 47-0 record with 26 knockouts, will defend his World Boxing Council and World Boxing Association welterweight title, while Pacquiao, who boasts 57-5-2 record with 38 stoppage victories, will put his World Boxing Organization welterweight title on the line.
WBC also announced earlier this month that a special emerald belt, believed to be worth $1 million, will be awarded to the winner of the highly anticipated showdown on Cinco de Mayo weekend.
