The hotly-anticipated showdown between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao is a rare major prizefight that has commanded mainstream interest on a global scale. It also offers an opportunity to pause and take measure of the state of boxing: where it’s been, where it is now and where it’s going.
Who will win Mayweather v Pacquiao and how?
Mayweather by decision 73.8%
Pacquiao by decision 21.4%
Pacquiao by knockout 3.6%
Mayweather by knockout 1.2%
Draw 0.0%
More than 95% of respondents believe the fight will go the distance with most tipping Mayweather to win the decision. That’s largely in step with the odds at the MGM Grand sports book.
Will there be a rematch?
No 57.1%
Yes 42.9%
A slight majority believe it will be a one-off, either because the result will prove decisive or because it’s a miracle it’s even happening once. That said, if it’s even reasonably competitive or controversial, it would be hard to pass on another record-breaking payday.
Who would have won if Mayweather and Pacquiao had fought in 2010?
Mayweather by decision 71.4%
Pacquiao by decision 21.5%
Pacquiao by knockout 7.1%
The notion that Saturday’s fight is happening several years after it should doesn’t seem to affect the outcome in the minds of our respondents. A similar majority believe Mayweather would have won a decision had the fight happened in 2010, when Pacquiao was at the peak of his destructive powers after knockouts of Ricky Hatton and Miguel Cotto.
Which fighter has the more impressive resume?
Mayweather 42.9%
Pacquiao 35.7%
Too close to call 21.4%
Mayweather is an 11-times world champion in five different weight divisions. He’s fought 20 world champions and is 24-0 with 10 knockouts in world title fights. Pacquiao has won championships in a record eight weight divisions, from 112lbs to 154lbs, with a 17-2-2 mark with 10 knockouts in world title fights.
Are you fully confident in the judges if the fight goes to a decision?
No 42.8%
Yes 29.8%
Not sure 27.4%
Given the likelihood that the fight will go to the scorecards, it doesn’t bode well that nearly half our respondents say they have less than full confidence in ringside judges Burt Clements, Dave Moretti and Glenn Feldman.
Does Mayweather’s history of domestic violence affect how he will be viewed historically?
Yes 50.0%
No 42.9%
Not sure 7.1%
Responses here fell all over the map. Exactly half of all respondents feel Mayweather’s criminal record – he’s been charged six times with domestic violence and served two months in jail in 2012 – will colour his perception in the history books. The same percentage (7.1%) reported ‘Strongly yes’ as ‘Strongly no’.
Is the fight happening too late to have a substantial impact on either fighter’s legacy?
No 71.4%
Yes 17.9%
Not sure 10.7%
While it would have been nice to watch the fight when both men were nearer their athletic peaks, a healthy majority agree these are the two best fighters today at welterweight – if not No1 and No2 on the pound-for-pound list – and this fight represents a career-defining test for both.
Is Al Haymon good for boxing?
Not sure 53.6%
Yes 39.3%
No 7.1%
It appears the jury is still out on the enigmatic adviser regarded as boxing’s most powerful figure. He’s amassed a stable of more than 150 fighters and recently launched Premier Boxing Champions, a new boxing series at broadening boxing’s mainstream appeal by showing fights on free-to-air television. But many think by paying networks for air time, he’s muscling out smaller promoters in an effort to create a monopoly.
What is the best fight that could realistically be made today?
Mayweather v Pacquiao 71.4%
Cotto v Álvarez 16.7%
Wladi Klitschko v Wilder 2.4%
Mayweather v Golovkin 1.2%
Golovkin v Ward 1.2%
Rigondeaux v Walters 1.2%
Nearly three-quarters of respondents believe Saturday’s fight is the best fight that can be made today, though a notable minority say a junior middleweight showdown between Miguel Cotto and Canelo Álvarez – a classic Puerto Rico v Mexico throwdown – would be just as good or better. Also mentioned was Klitschko-Wilder, a fight to unify the heavyweight championship for the first time since Lennox Lewis retired.
Who will emerge as boxing’s biggest draw when Mayweather and Pacquiao retire?
Gennady Golovkin 41.7%
Canelo Álvarez 33.3%
Deontay Wilder 13.1%
Not sure/other 8.3%
Félix Verdejo 2.4%
Keith Thurman 1.2%
Gennady Golovkin has torn through boxing’s middleweight division in crowd-pleasing fashion, amassing a record of 32-0 with 29 knockouts, including the last 19 in a row. It’s the highest KO percentage in middleweight championship history (90.1%) and a better clip than Mike Tyson after 32 fights. But is he too good to get a big fight?
Is there cause for concern about boxing’s future when Mayweather and Pacquiao retire?
No 64.3%
Yes 35.7%
A two-thirds majority believe the mainstream hand-wringing over the future of boxing once its two most recognisable stars walk away is much ado about nothing. Aside from up-and-comers like Canelo Álvarez, Keith Thurman and Deontay Wilder, the sport has always found a way of regenerating itself in unexpected ways.
What is the biggest problem facing boxing today?
Too many title belts 35.7%
No single governing body 16.7%
Too expensive to follow 14.3%
Lack of mainstream interest 14.3%
Other 11.9%
Perception it’s a dirty sport 7.1%
Responses here were all over the map, though the comically byzantine alphabet soup of world title belts was the most persistent issue. “What casual fan can even keep track of who’s the best?” wrote one respondent. That of course stems from the second-most common response: the lack of a single, authoritative governing body.
