As the richest fight in boxing history draws ever closer, Sportsmail has designed a fitting guide for armchair fans. From their stances to their punch accuracy, we have everything you need to know about Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao.
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: THINGS TO LOOK OUT FOR
THE SHOULDER ROLL
Less
effective against a southpaw but still a key move. He plants his back
leg and rolls his body away from danger, leaving his opponent with no
target to hit. Only athletic boxers with lightning reflexes can make
this work and it leaves him perfectly positioned to counter.
STICKY PUNCHES
Mayweather
likes leaving his hands extended in and around his opponent, using tiny
movements to control their head. That keeps them off balance, making
them easier to attack as they recover.
30mph - Speed of a Mayweather punch - five times faster than a rattlesnake strike
0.09sec - Mayweather's reaction speed to visual stimuli, twice as fast as the average person. That helps him spot and evade punches.
Mayweather's punches are five times
quicker than a rattlesnake strike, while his reaction times are twice as
quick that the average person
WHAT'S ON THE MENU?
Mayweather
has extravagant eating habits - he has had oxtail stew cooked for him
at 4am - but his personal chef is feeding him a protein-rich diet of
meats, fish and organic juices. His favourite dish though is fried
turkey hot dogs in BBQ sauce.
STRATEGY
Mayweather is more versatile and he can approach the fight in two ways:
1) Clever defence and counter-punching. He can dance around the ring, picking his shots as Pacquiao comes in.
2) Dominating the ring and keeping Manny under control, especially with that straight right against a southpaw.
STRENGTHS
Boxing
is like chess and Floyd is a brilliant tactician who can adapt from
defence as the fight goes on. His straight right is devastating.
Mayweather connects with that deadly straight right in his win over Marcos Maidana in Las Vegas in September last year
MANNY PACQUIAO: THINGS TO LOOK OUT FOR
PUNCHING POWER
Generating
huge power relies on core strength and quick hand speed, which Pacquiao
has in abundance. He is lightning-quick and can regularly land punches
with more than 800lb of force.
LEFT HOOK
Pacquiao's
most effective weapon and the punch that flattened Ricky Hatton, the
only Brit to fight either man. By arcing his arm, he can get round his
opponent's guard and since the punch starts outside the eye-line, it is
much harder to spot.
0.12sec - The time it takes Pacquiao to land a punch. It takes around 0.3sec to blink.
59.6 punches - Pacquiao has thrown nearly 60 punches per round in his last five fights, 20 more than Mayweather.
Pacquiao used his left hook to devastating effect in November's win over Chris Algieri in Macau
WHAT'S ON THE MENU?
Pacquiao
eats three to four times a day to compensate for calories burned in the
gym and his chef allows him to eat as much as he wants, trusting him to
eat healthily. His menu includes chicken, beef, stew, rice and plenty
of vegetables.
STRATEGY
Pacquiao
will be the aggressor but he has to rediscover the speed and power with
which he dominated Oscar de la Hoya (2008) and Miguel Cotto (2009). If
so, that knock-out left can penetrate the Mayweather defence as the left
shoulder roll is not so effective against a southpaw. It has to be
fast: in, hit and out. In Freddie Roach he has a great trainer to set
that up.
STRENGTHS
Pacquiao is blessed with speed and power, is committed to attack and can sustain it for 12 rounds. Watch that left hook...
Pacquiao hones his technique at the Wild Card Boxing Club in Los Angeles in the build-up to the big fight with Mayweather
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