Silverman: If Mayweather Has His Way, Fight Fans Will Be Left Wanting More

By Steve Silverman
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It is the Fight of the Century, but only because the century is just 15 years old.

Las Vegas and the boxing authorities are serving us up Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao at $99 a slice, and for this we get to see a fight that many boxing fans have waited to see for about six years.

While there is a feeling of relief that these two are finally going to have at each other on Saturday night from the MGM Grand, all eyes should be wide open.

Yes, it does have a chance to be a memorable fight and night, but there's probably a greater chance that the boxing match between the undefeated Money Man and the always-dynamic Pacquiao could be a dud.

For the optimists, here's how this fight turns into a brilliant epic. Pacquiao would need to come out with a purpose and take it to Mayweather in the first round. If Pacquiao can get in a series of punches and hit Mayweather with a few damaging blows, he will get Mayweather's attention and boxing fans will have a real fight on their hands.

If that happens, Mayweather would fight back in the second round, and the two could exchange salvos for four, five or six rounds. At a certain point, one of the two fighters will gain confidence and assert themselves.

If it's Pacquiao, there is a slight chance he could actually stop Mayweather in the later rounds. Mayweather is an excellent defensive fighter, while Pacquiao likes to throw his punches in bunches. If he is capable of doing that here and getting through Mayweather's defense, he could land powerful punches in the later rounds that punish his opponent and put him down.

Mayweather may also have a chance to stop Pacquiao. The 38-year-old champion may have slowed down by a step or more. That diminished foot speed will keep him from moving the way he did when he was at his peak four or five years ago.

However, a look at his recent fights shows there is no slowing down of his hands. He has a very fast right-hand punch that could get to Pacquiao on a regular basis. As tough and explosive as Pacquiao is, he can't match Mayweather's defensive skill.

Mayweather gets out of the way of punches and he blocks them. Pacquiao tends to take a lot of punishment and he has been willing to take one or two shots just so he can wade in and deliver a barrage. Against a fighter of Mayweather's quality, he may get hit with two or three shots instead of one or two. Over the course of a 12-round fight, that's a lot of punishment.

Additionally, Pacquiao has shown that he will get reckless if he senses an advantage. That's what happened when he fought Juan Manuel Marquez for the fourth time in Dec. 2012. After absorbing a knockdown in the third round of that fight, Pacquiao bounced back to register a knockdown of his own in the fifth round.

In the sixth, Pacquiao had the best of it as the round reached the final five seconds. Pacquiao sensed an opening and went after Marquez as if his opponent was spent and had nothing left. He was not prepared for the stunning punch that caught him square on the button and knocked him out cold.

Mayweather is not going to hit with the same kind of ferocity as Marquez, but if Pacquiao is careless with him, Money Man is more than capable of making him pay dearly.

Those would all be exciting scenarios for fight fans. Pacquiao will almost certainly try to mix it up and get into Mayweather's kitchen.

However, if Mayweather's defense is too strong and Pacquiao can't figure him out, then it could be quite a boring and disappointing night. Mayweather has only one thing on his mind, and that's winning. If he can do it by fighting defensively and avoiding his opponent's punches, he will be more than satisfied to do that.

He does not feel obligated to put on a show despite the huge amount -- $50 million, $75 million or $100 million (take your pick) -- he is getting paid.

He feels obligated to turn his 47-0 record into 48-0.

The fight may not deliver on its promise. If Pacquiao can dictate the pace, it will. If Mayweather has his way, it won't.

The feeling here is that Pacquiao will make it a fight and he will find a way to get through Mayweather's defense for at least five or six rounds. At that point, Mayweather will take over and use his intelligence and ring generalship to finish the fight.

Mayweather will win a decision, and the boxing world will be left asking for more.