Experts pick Pacquiao, Mayweather

BOXING experts see the Sept. 14 showdown between pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather Jr. and WBC super welterweight champion Saul Alvarez as the biggest fight of the year, at least in terms of revenue.

Filipino boxing writer Abac Cordero feels the same way, too.

“I don’t think either the Manny Pacquiao-Brandon Rios fight this November, or the Juan Manuel Marquez-Timothy Bradley match scheduled on Oct. 12 in Las Vegas can generate as much pay-per-view revenue as the Mayweather-Alvarez bout,” Cordero said.

“But as far as excitement is concerned, I believe the Pacquiao-Rios fight can top them all.”

Bradley, one of the two boxers who beat Pacquiao last year, agrees that the Pacquiao-Rios tiff will be “action-packed.” He has picked the former eight-division world champ to win.

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“I definitely will pick Pacquiao in this match,” Bradley was quoted by Boxing Scene. “I think he has a lot left in the tank. I think his speed, his movement, the power that he carries—I think he’ll be able to display these against Rios, because Rios is straightforward. His head does not move to the side.”

Bradley praised Rios, though, for his toughness.

“Rios is a very tough opponent,” said Bradley, the undefeated WBO welterweight champ. “He comes to fight. If I really know Pacquiao, guys who come straight at him, he does his best work when guys come straight at him.

“Brandon is a smaller guy,” he added. “Or they probably are the same size, but he’s coming up from 135 to 140 and now 147. I don’t know if this weight is suitable for him to come in at 147.”

Bradley believes the Sarangani congressman is totally capable of bouncing back from his twin defeats last year.

Cordero said the fight will definitely “not be one-sided in favor of anybody,” but Pacquiao will still be favored to prevail.

“It is going to be a dangerous fight,” he added.

Pacquiao has a record of 54 wins (38 by knockout), five losses and two draws. Rios, on the other hand, has 31 wins (23 by KO),  one loss and a draw.

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In less than three weeks, Mayweather will be climbing up the ring to square off with Alvarez who, they say, might be able to offer stiffer competition to Floyd Jr. compared to his recent opponents like Robert Guerrero, who won just a single round in their May 4 match.

While Alvarez may be expected to do a bit better than Guerrero, he is not expected to win. At this point, no one, it seems, is capable of beating Mayweather.

Experts say this fight on Sept. 14 against Alvarez will end up just like the other Mayweather fights.