Mayweather v Pacquiao: Cleverly says Manny must watch Floyd's right hand
Monday 27 April 2015 13:58, UK
Nathan Cleverly says Floyd Mayweather must be regarded as one of the greatest fighters in the history of boxing.
Mayweather created a stir last week when he said in an interview: “No one can ever brainwash me to make me believe that Sugar Ray Robinson and Muhammad Ali were better than me.”
That led to Manny Pacquiao’s promoter Bob Arum branding Mayweather a megalomaniac and calling the comparisons “a joke”
But Cleverly can understand Mayweather’s point of view and insists the unbeaten six-weight world champion has risen to every challenge and proved he is one of the legends of the sport.
“I don’t think you can compare anybody to Muhammad Ali. He is the greatest, but Mayweather, he has a point,” Cleverly told Sky Sports News HQ.
“In the modern era, (he’s shown) he is a superb athlete, he’s unbeaten, he’s fought the best and he’s beat the best. What else can this guy this do? He’s set boxing alight.
“He’s pound-for-pound the No 1 fighter so why shouldn’t he be regarded as one of the greatest? To remain champion as long as he has is sensational. I think he is up there with the best.”
Mayweather v Pacquiao Countdown
The Las Vegas superfight between the best fighters of their generation is less than a week away and the contrasting styles of the two fighters has added to the anticipation ahead of the May 2 Sky Sports Box Office showdown.
Mayweather has an orthodox stance but Pacquiao is a southpaw fighter. Cleverly is predicting a fascinating contest between two of boxing’s best technicians but warned Pacquiao must be wary of the threat posed by Mayweather’s right hand.
He said: “You’ve got Manny Pacquiao who is an offensive master, an on-the-front-foot fighter who is superb and throws lots of punches. Mayweather is a defensive master who fights on the back foot, so it’s a total contrast between two fighters on opposite ends of the scale.
“That’s what makes it interesting. It’s going to be a fantastic fight, one I didn’t think was going to happen but it’s happening.
“Manny Pacquiao is a southpaw, right foot forward, right hand forward, but Mayweather is the orthodox fighter with his left hand forward. I think it will be a very cagey fight early on between the southpaw and the orthodox fighter. The jabs are going to clash a lot because the lead hands will be in the way.
“It’s going to be about whoever lands the backhand. Mayweather needs to land his right hand as often as possible, Pacquiao the left as often as possible, but it’s also about getting in the position to land those shots because they both have a wide stance.
“They’ll both be quite far away from each other keeping their distance, so Mayweather will fence, fence, fence – it’s going to be a fencing match.
“The question is can he come through with that right hand and land it flush? At some point he is. Manny Pacquiao is going to come forward and he’s going to walk on to that right hand.”
Book Mayweather v Pacquiao, Sky Sports Box Office, May 2, via your Sky remote, phone or online now. If you want to record the event, book via your Sky remote. skysports.com/maypac
