Ahead of the May 2 superfight between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, The National looks at the fighters' recent history. Below, scroll through the pictures for Jon Turner's analysis Pacquiao's last five fights.
ALSO SEE: Steve Luckings’s analysis of Floyd Mayweather’s last five fights
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v Chris Algieri, November 2014
The second Pacquiao fight to take place under the bright lights of Macau. Algieri posed few problems to the Filipino superstar. Entering the bout off the back of an impressive win over Ruslan Provodnikov, Algieri, a former kickboxer, had no answers to the speed and skills of his opponent and proved little more than a moving punch bag for Pacquiao, who knocked down the previously unbeaten American six times en route to a lopsided points decision. Any pre-fight talk that Pacquiao’s hand speed had slowed was reduced to whispers after this devastating display.
v Timothy Bradley, April 2014
The rematch of their controversial 2012 showdown, Pacquiao entered the fight knowing another defeat to Bradley would have a huge impact on his hopes of a future encounter with Floyd Mayweather Jr. He needn’t have worried. Bradley is a durable, sometimes awkward fighter and he was no match for Pacquiao, who had little trouble picking the American off for 12 rounds to secure a unanimous victory. Pacquiao promised to return to the more aggressive tactics he seemed to have abandoned in previous fights. And it paid dividends, consistently finding a way through Bradley’s guard to accumulate round after round on the judges’ scorecards. Bradley, not known as a big puncher, resorted to, as Freddie Roach described it, “a one-punch home run” strategy that played into Pacquiao’s hands. The fight was billed as “Vindication” following the controversy of the first bout. Pacquiao certainly made sure it was served.
v Brandon Rios, November 2013
A fight that carried with it questions concerning Pacquiao’s boxing future as it followed the first back-to-back losses of his career. Pacquiao said that if he did not beat Rios convincingly he would retire. The Filipino, by now fully entrenched in politics and philanthropy in his homeland entered the ring against the backdrop of the devastating effects of Typhoon Haiyan, which killed more than 5,000 people in the Philippines. The nervous tension among Pacquiao fans and observers in the build-up was palpable, but as the fight unfolded it was clear “Pac Man” was on a different level to his American opponent. After a dominant opening two rounds, Pacquiao briefly let his opponent back into the contest in the third, but that was as good as it got for Rios, with Pacquiao seeing out the remaining nine rounds in total control.
v Juan Manuel Marquez, December 2012
While Mayweather may represent Pacquiao’s most high-profile fight, boxing will remember him most for his series with Marquez. The pair fought each other four times; the first, in 2004, ended in a draw, while Pacquiao took their 2008 contest via a split decision and the third, in 2011, by unanimous verdict. To say these two warriors have produced entertaining fights would be an understatement. Despite coming off a defeat, albeit a highly debatable one, to Timothy Bradley, Pacquiao was still heavily favoured to settle this rivalry once and for all in Las Vegas. Marquez did not get a copy of the script. After an explosive start, Marquez had Pacquiao down in the third round and it was clear the Mexican wanted to end the night early. Pacquiao put Marquez on the canvas in the fifth, but then came that knockout in the sixth. As Pacquiao lunged in, Marquez produced a monstrous straight right from close quarters that knocked Pacquiao out cold.
v Timothy Bradley, June 2012
Pacquiao entered his first fight with Bradley carrying a seven-year, 15-fight winning streak, stretching back to his defeat to Erik Morales, marking the Filipino as one of the sport’s most lucrative box-office draws. Bradley was undefeated and tough, but it was widely believed the American would pose little threat to the speed and power of Pacquiao, and so it proved over 12 rounds that saw Pacquiao dominate for most of the encounter. At least, that is what most in the arena, judging by the boos and catcalls, and millions watching on TV thought. Crucially, two of the three judges saw it differently, handing Bradley an incredible 115-113, 115-113, 113-115 split decision. Bradley could perhaps have been awarded three rounds, maybe four, but to have him winning eight of the 12 was beyond comprehension. Fortunately, for Pacquiao, he got his retribution 22 months later.
