Mayweather’s reign as the top fighter in the accuracy department is documented and while his punches are not as powerful as Pacquiao’s punches, they land on targets with precision. Consequently, those punches that found their targets enable Mayweather to earn points on judges’ scorecards for a win on points.
Mayweather doesn’t care if he is branded as a boring fighter and less entertaining for the fans as long as he emerges victor at the end of the fight.
This is precisely the reason why he has managed to stay unbeaten in his 47 outings. His mindset is not to win via knockout — even if he could as he has the needed power to score a knockout — but just to accumulate enough points to score a win.
Statistically, Mayweather is far superior than Pacquiao in terms of punching accuracy. His jab connect rate is 41.6 per cent against Pacquiao’s 12.3 per cent. In 2012, ESPN revealed that Compubox rated Mayweather one of the most accurate punchers with a connect rate of 46 percent.
Pacquiao’s power punching rate is significantly higher at 45.3 percent compared to other fighters in the 147 pound limit, while Mayweather enjoys a 47.8 percent in power punching accuracy.
What is disturbing is the fact that opponents in the class where both Pacquiao and Mayweather have fought landed more punches on Pacquiao, at 33.6 percent while Mayweather was hit only at the rate of 18.6 percent.
This proves that Pacquiao is is an easier target than Mayweather, who is known for his superior defensive skill including his mastery of the shoulder roll defense.
While Mayweather has not fought an opponent that could approximate Pacquiao foot and hand speed, he must have addressed this as he prepares for his upcoming fight because he is aware that speed is Pacquiao’s most potent weapon against him.
Pacquiao’s longtime trainer Freddie Roach is confident that Pacquiao’s speed would be too much for Mayweather to chase and with the power that Pacquiao has on his left hand, the seven-time trainer of the year sees an upset victory coming for Pacquiao.
“Manny does have power and Mayweather does not do well with southpaws. I think that’s the big factor in the fight. He really doesn’t understand how fast Manny is and he doesn’t understand how hard he hits,” Roach said.
On May 2, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, fans will know if Mayweather’s punching accuracy will work against Pacquiao’s blinding speed and awesome power.
