Mayweather has to KO Pacquiao to win, says Jones

Roy Jones Jr. appears in the ring after his loss by unanimous decision to Bernard Hopkins in their light heavyweight bout at the Mandalay Bay Events Center April 3, 2010 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Ethan Miller/Getty Images/AFP

For Roy Jones Jr., Floyd Mayweather Jr. does not stand a chance against Manny Pacquiao if the fight goes to the judges’ cards.

Jones, the former four-division World Champion and a current HBO analyst, thinks that being on the defensive all night might work against Mayweather if their megafight on May 2 goes the distance.

“You don’t get Mayweather to engage,” the former pound-for-pound king told ESPN. “Pacquiao’s plan should be to outwork Mayweather and outpoint. He’s not going to be able to force Mayweather to engage.”

“He can do what he wants to do and try, but he can’t force a defensive fighter who’s that skilled and defensive. You can’t make him engage.”

And when that happens, the best way for Mayweather to keep his unblemished record is to just finish off Pacquiao.

“I think Floyd will have to knockout Pacquiao to win. If there’s a decision, I think Pacquiao wins the decision,” Jones said.

He added that Pacquiao will hit Mayweather if Money goes to his left trying to stay in front of the Filipino boxing champion. CC

For more updates on Pacquiao-Mayweather “Fight of the Century,” visit The Pacquiao Files.