One of the greatest defensive fighters of all time, Floyd Mayweather, returns to the ring this September for a rematch with fellow icon Manny Pacquiao. The man many believe to be heir to that technical throne – Shakur Stevenson – has weighed in on the match-up.
Mayweather and Pacquiao will face off at The Sphere in Las Vegas 11 years on from their initial record-breaking clash. It will be a professionally sanctioned bout, meaning Mayweather’s 50-0 record will be on the line.
While many have their reservations about fighters at 49 and 47 years old engaging in combat sports, there’s no doubt that the boxing world will stop and watch. That includes Stevenson, who seems excited by the match-up.
On a recent livestream, the three-weight world champion backed ‘Money’ Mayweather without any doubt.
“PacMan versus Floyd. Floyd gonna cook [him]. Bet all your money … The GOAT. Bet whatever on Floyd, he gonna outbox him, make it easy, get his cheque, go home.”
The prediction, whilst boosted by a personal connection to Mayweather, speaks to Stevenson’s preferred style of fighting, and how impactful he knows that the old mantra of ‘hit and don’t get hit’ can be inside the ropes.
Mayweather retired in 2017 and has only stepped through the ropes for exhibitions since. He is, however, known to keep himself in tremendous shape.
Pacquiao benefitted from a full training camp last year before his pro return against then welterweight world champion Mario Barrios, fighting to a draw and thus not winning the belt to break his own record as the division’s oldest world champion.
The fight will be streamed live on Netflix, with plenty of supporting content expected in the months prior. Two previously announced exhibition bouts – Mike Tyson for Mayweather and Ruslan Provodnikov for Pacquiao – could now be reconsidered due to the magnitude of the rematch.