Mayweather Demands Pacquiao to Fight Him at 154

Is it me? Or does Pretty Boy Floyd Mayweather really want to be in the ring with the Pacman?

See, I have read an article about Mayweather’s ridiculous demands if Pacquiao wants to fight with him. Seriously, I do admire Mayweather’s skills and boxing abilities; I do regard him as the best defensive fighter of all time. But why sully his reputation with terms that are way beyond realistic and rational?

According to esteemed boxing trainer, Freddie Roach, Mayweather stated that he wants Pacquiao to fight him at the light middleweight limit of 154 lbs. Adding to that is the use of 10oz gloves.

For those who do not know boxing, Pacquiao fights at the welterweight category, which is within the 141-147 lbs weight frame. Pacquiao’s usual fighting weight plays from 144-148, at which he is really effective in terms of speed and power. And the Pacman has always used 8oz gloves.

Adding more muscle mass will have an adverse effect on a boxer’s performance if he goes beyond his ideal fighting weight. The Mayweather-Marquez fight is a prime example. Marquez, who is a natural lightweight fighter (135 lbs), climbed the scales to 144 lbs to fight Mayweather. If you have seen the fight, you will notice how slow, sluggish and ineffective Marquez was in that bout.

Though Pacquiao is a different case, who has been able to climb the scales without losing his speed, power, and mobility, he might be pushing the envelope too far should he agree to battle Mayweather at 154 lbs.

Another thing to consider is that Mayweather is the bigger fighter and the added pounds will favor him very well. Muscles act like armor, and the more muscles a boxer has, the higher his resistance to blunt trauma caused by the other boxer’s punches. Also, Mayweather already fought as middleweight when he faced Oscar dela Hoya.

Again, let’s go back to the Marquez fight. Mayweather weighed 146 lbs, two pounds over than the 144 limit and four pounds heavier than Marquez, who weighed at 142. Mayweather was visibly he bulkier fighter during fight night, and while he was defensively superb that night, he got hit with clean power shots by Marquez. The problem was, Mayweather was not hurting.

And now we go to the boxing gloves issue. First off, boxers in championship fights often wear 8oz gloves. Less padding and this translates to effective transfer of force from the boxer’s punch to the intended target if it lands. 10oz boxing gloves have more padding. Do the math.

I think a lot of people are really hyped to see this fight happen (writer included), but it seems Mayweather’s preferred terms are going to make the negotiations a tad difficult and perhaps cancel this era’s most lucrative match. I pray not.