Saturday 25 April 2015 14:33, UK
Ring legend Tommy Hearns believes Floyd Mayweather must throw caution to the wind and take the fight to Manny Pacquiao in next week’s showdown in Las Vegas.
Hearns believes both fighters have to take risks they may not normally take, simply because of the magnitude of the richest fight ever.
"Mayweather has no authority to be Mayweather," Hearns said. "He has to be defensive, but he has to be offensive, too. People will be offended if he doesn't. People will lose their minds."
Floyd Mayweather is going to try and take Manny Pacquiao's head off. You can count on that happening.
Hearns understood what was expected from him the night 30 years ago when he stepped into the ring to face Marvin Hagler for the middleweight title.
There would be no running. There wouldn't even be that much boxing.
"I knew before I got in the ring I had to put a show on for the people," Hearns said. "I knew I had to get him or they would say something is wrong with Tommy."
Ring history was made that night in April 1985 in what may have been the best first round ever in a major title fight, as the pair went toe-to-toe in fearsome exchanges that bloodied Hagler and eventually sapped the vaunted punching power of Hearns.
There is no evidence that Mayweather and Pacquiao will put on anything close to the epic three-rounder which was Hagler-Hearns - Mayweather has only one knockout in the last eight years, while Pacquiao has not stopped anyone in nearly six.
While Pacquiao's early career was built on stoppages, claiming 38 knockouts in 64 fights, Mayweather prides himself on winning while not getting hit.
However, the undefeated American may feel forced to abandon his usual tactics - which often make for a dull fight - due to the massive $180 million payday he is expected to get.
"Floyd Mayweather is going to try to take Manny Pacquiao's head off. You can count on that happening," insisted the American boxer's promoter, Leonard Ellerbe.
"He'll do it in a manner where he follows a game plan, but Floyd Mayweather is looking to finish him off. I strongly believe he will do just that."
If Mayweather is uncharacteristically aggressive, that could play into the hands of Pacquiao, who needs to be able to find his elusive opponent in the ring to beat him.
"We'll keep him guessing when we're coming and we're not coming," said Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach. "Floyd will be overwhelmed by the foot speed and the hand speed of Manny Pacquiao."
Pacquiao showed some power in his last fight, knocking Chris Algieri down six times in Macau on his way to a one-sided win, but failed to finish the job early and faces a far more difficult style against Mayweather.
Former heavyweight champion George Foreman said Mayweather's tremendous counter-punching ability won't be enough for him to win the fight unless he engages his rival more often than he has other fighters.
"Pacquiao is really a pop shot artist," Foreman said. "It's hard to get a counter punch in on him, it's not that easy. Mayweather is a defensive genius but to win these rounds you're going to have to become an offensive fighter, too."
Mayweather will have a size advantage in the fight, which was evident when the two boxers got together at their Los Angeles press conference last month, and may be able to pair that advantage with any mistakes made by the Filipino.
"He's a very, very reckless fighter," Mayweather said. "In the (Juan Manuel) Marquez fight (where Pacquiao was knocked out in the sixth round) he was fighting very reckless. My career would have probably not lasted this long if I was that reckless."
Hearns was a bit reckless, too, against the seemingly unstoppable Hagler, however, their fight at Caesars Palace has stood the test of time, and even the loser has come to terms with it.
"I knew I had to do what I did," Hearns said. "I was ready for a hard fight but not that hard. I broke my hand hitting that man in the side of the head. I was just trying to get rid of him so fast."
Book Mayweather v Pacquiao, Sky Sports Box Office, May 2, via your phone or online now. If you want to record the event, book via your Sky remote from April 25. skysports.com/maypac
