Anthony Johnson: Wouldn’t surprise me if Floyd Mayweather KOs Manny Pacquiao

While UFC events regularly dominate Saturday nights for hardcore fans as well as pundits, this weekend will center around one particular pairing, Floyd Mayweather…

By: Karim Zidan | 8 years ago
Anthony Johnson: Wouldn’t surprise me if Floyd Mayweather KOs Manny Pacquiao
Bloody Elbow 2.0 | Anton Tabuena

While UFC events regularly dominate Saturday nights for hardcore fans as well as pundits, this weekend will center around one particular pairing, Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, who will finally step into the boxing ring in what is being called the ‘Fight of the Century.’

The contest is approximately five years in the making. After years of failed negotiations, few expected the superfight to ever come to fruition. However, now that it is just a few days away, MMA fighters and boxers alike are throwing out their predictions for Saturday night’s main event.

The latest fighter to offer up a quick analysis of the fight is expected title challenger Anthony Johnson.

“Mayweather all day,” Johnson told Fighthub.tv when asked to make a prediction. “Everybody talks about Mayweather like he runs. This dude is a boxer, not a brawler. It’s not called brawling it’s called boxing. I think Mayweather does it well. That is why he is the best. That’s why he is undefeated. That’s why he barely gets hit in a fight. He does what he wants to do; he’s that well trained.

“He understands the science of boxing.”

On the other hand, Johnson is not convinced that Pacquiao’s aggressive approach will benefit him against a fighter as accurate as Mayweather.

“Pacquiao comes in with a million punches a fight, but he also leaves himself open a lot too. That’s why he got caught by (Juan Manuel) Márquez. Mayweather is a different breed. He is one of those fighters we won’t see for a lot. By the time I’m 80, another Mayweather will be coming around the corner. I’m excited.”

While Johnson appeared to lean towards a unanimous decision for Mayweather, he suggested that a KO win for the undefeated fighter would not be surprising at all.

“Mayweather by decision. I wouldn’t be surprised if he knocks him out though. The guy is so accurate and fast, you just never know. He’s going to definitely counter the hell out of him.”

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About the author
Karim Zidan
Karim Zidan

Karim Zidan is a investigative reporter and feature writer focusing on the intersection of sports and politics. He has written for BloodyElbow since 2014 and has served as an associate editor since 2016. He also writes for The New York Times and The Guardian. Karim has been invited to speak about his work at numerous universities, including Princeton, and was a panelist at the South by Southwest (SXSW) film festival and the Oslo Freedom Forum. He also participated in the United Nations counter-terrorism conference in 2021. His reporting on Ramzan Kadyrov’s involvement in MMA, much of which was done for Bloody Elbow, has led to numerous award nominations, and was the basis of an award-winning HBO Real Sports documentary.

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