Mayweather vs Pacquiao: My Take on "THE" Fight

Mayweather vs Pacquiao: My Take on "THE" Fight

Before I start my rant I want to go on record stating that I am a bigger fan of Pac-Man than I am of Mayweather. 

*Start rant*

Everyone has been bitching about Mayweather vs Pacquiao since it ended and I'm tired of all the stupid complaints. "Most people don't know shit about boxing." or fighting in general for that matter, so everyone just needs to chill. This was a very technical fight and the fact that people are criticizing Mayweather by saying that all he did was "run away" or that he "employed a dirty strategy of running and holding", which I read on Cnet, is completely ridiculous and outlandish* and just goes to show that when it comes to the "sweet science" (or any kind of fighting) people are pretty damn ignorant. "Dirty strategy"? Really? It's called "OUT BOXING" or "stick and move" people, get a damn clue! The "hugging" as referred to by the layman is called a "clinch" and it is used to prevent your opponent from landing strong shots from inside. You wouldn't let someone trap you in a corner and just wail on you right? It's all just part of the fight.

Out boxing - "Out boxing a.k.a. outside fighting or range fighting means to maintain the gap between oneself and the opponent, fighting with longer range punches. Outside fighters have to be fast, stepping in with a jab and stepping back out of range quickly to evade their opponent."

Stick and move - "Stick and move is when a boxer jabs or uses long range punches then quickly moves away using elusive footwork to evade their opponent."

Clinch - "A clinch is a defensive technique. It's when one boxer holds onto the other to avoid being hit or muffle an opponent's attack."

Stick to your Game Plan & Win the Fight!

*( BTW yes! I did use the word outlandish so you better get out your dictionary because I just vocabularied all over you... and yes, I did just use the word vocabulary as a verb...)*

You wouldn't try to beat Emeril in a cook off right? So why would you go head to head with a fast hard punching in-fighter when your specialty is counter-punching/out boxing? Fights aren't all about being flashy and showboating, they're about months of hard training and preparation. Game plans and strategies are devised to help a fighter achieve his goal of winning the fight and Mayweather's strategy against Pacquiao was spot on and perfectly executed. It just goes to show you how dangerous "Pac-Man" is and how much Mayweather respected that. He knew this was how he had to fight him and he did exactly that completely neutralizing his opponents' style of fighting, which also goes to show you Mayweather's level of skill. Being able to stick to a game plan through a 12 round battle is no easy task, especially when you get caught a few times.

Firsthand Knowledge of The Art

Now I'm not just talking out of my ass here. I'm a martial artist that has been training for 16 years and have competed in many different venues including the "New York Daily News Golden Gloves". I saw the same fight that everyone else saw and I enjoyed watching these two warriors put on a display of their skills. I am a fan of both fighters and although it would have been great to see "Pac-Man" dethrone "Money" Mayweather and get the W it was still a good fight.

It's called Boxing not Brawling!

Of course having the knowledge that I have, I know exactly what's going on when I'm watching fights, unlike the type of crowd these kinds of "super fights" always draw. I'm talking about you "casual spectators"! Thinking that every boxing match is like a Mike Tyson fight or a brawl with crazy knockdowns/knockouts and when you don't see those kinds of flashy spectacles you aren't entertained because you have no concept of the technical aspects of the fight taking place in the ring. The art of Boxing, a.k.a. "The Sweet Science", is about hitting your opponent without getting hit and Floyd Mayweather Jr. is a master of the art.

So in closing...

What you need to understand is that these guys are human just like you and I. Fighting is their job and they've been doing it at a professional level for a long time. Keeping themselves safe and healthy is part of that job. They aren't the young bucks they used to be, and in terms of fighting they're practically old men. This isn't the Colosseum in ancient Rome, they don't need to purposely put themselves in harms way to put on a show for you, they do that enough as it is.

"but i spent $100 on PPV to watch the fight! They shoulda  dun more!" - General statement from random ignorant tool

The above generalized statement is something one of you tools out there with poor grammar and proof reading skills might say. My reply to this is: First, no one forced you to spend money on PPV to watch the fight, and it isn't like there weren't other fights to watch on that PPV card... and second, if you think it's so simple, why don't you step in the ring and square up with either of these guys for 12 rounds?

I honestly can't believe crap like this gets posted on USAToday.

Moral of the story. If you are a spectator with no working knowledge of combat sports and are just watching for shits n' gigs keep your mouth shut, take your fingers off the keyboard and back away...

*End rant*