PACQUIAO vs. MAYWEATHER - BATTLE FOR GREATNESS

It’s true, I’m not dreaming.  The wait is over.  The big fight is happening on May 3!  (May 2 in the U.S.A.). Everybody has been waiting for it, now we get it.  It is the richest fight in history.   It is billed as the Fight of the Century. 

Yes, I am referring to the upcoming boxing match between the eight-division worldchampion Manny Pacquiao and the undefeated five-division world champion Floyd Mayweather, Jr.  

For the past few years, people had stopped hoping that this fight is ever going to happen because since 2010, Mayweather had been dodging it.  He said he never wanted Pacquiao to be treated as a peer.  He kept on making unreasonable demands.   Because of his unreasonable demands, people thought that behind his unwillingness to fight Pacquiao lies his fear of losing the title of being an undefeated boxer.   He wanted to go down in history as the undefeated boxer.

Now, everybody knows this fight is happening because it all went in Mayweather’s  favor.  He got everything he wanted.    He dominated the negotiations,  including purse split, drug testing, and location  of the bout.   Everything he wanted, Pacquiao consented .

Most people want Pacquiao to win.  In  this match, Pacquiao is the underdog.  It is true that most wins  by Pacquiao like his fights with De La Hoya, Hatton, Cotto, Mosley, Marquez – they all lost to Mayweather.  So there is truth in Mayweather’s claim that Pacquiao wins are Mayweather leftovers.  However, if you look at the pictures of these boxers after their fight with Mayweather, their faces were not as badly disfigured as compared with what happened to their faces after fighting with Pacquiao.

Nevertheless, I am a big fan of Pacquiao.  I admire him because he is God-fearing, he is humble, kind and generous, especially to the poor.  More so that he is now a born again Christian.  I heard him say that after the fight he will invite Mayweather to a Bible study.  Wow!  He has a very good testimony of how God has transformed him.

On the other hand, Mayweather is the opposite.  He loves money, maybe that’s why his moniker is “Money” – Floyd “Money” Mayweather, Jr.   Pacquiao fights not primarily for money but foremost for  his country.   Pacquiao is humble.  Mayweather is the opposite.  His statement that “Pacquiao is famous because he’s connected to my name” is  a statement of an arrogant person.

When I heard what PBF means – Pretty Boy Floyd - my thoughts went back to Cassius Clay (later his name was changed to Muhammad Ali).   Muhammad Ali was known for his claim that he was the most beautiful fighter of his day.  He also claimed that   “I AM THE GREATEST”.

Mayweather and Pacquiao – they really prepared and trained hard for this.  So nobody really knows for sure who will win.

My prayer is that God will honor all Pacquiao's hard work in training and that he will stay very alert and really make use of his intellect, speed and power to win and that there will be no foul play.  Play fair, PBF!