Fight of the century: Pacquiao-Mayweather arrives

Tickets, of which only 500 were made available to the general public this week, are now exchanging hands on the black market for up to $150,000 each. Boxing has never seen the likes.

On paper at least, it certainly makes for an enthralling spectacle, pitting two pugilists with contrasting styles inside the ring, and differing personalities outside of it. “Good against evil” is how Pacquiao’s camp has mischievously billed it.

Mixing styles
Mayweather (47-0-0, 26 KOs) is the brash, and sometimes crass, playboy who is only too happy to offend. “No f****** fighter can beat me. I am boxing,” he boasts in one infamous clip. A counter-puncher with a near impenetrable defence – perhaps the greatest in history – he’s the self-proclaimed “Best Ever”, as his unbeaten record proves.

Pacquiao (57-5-2, 38 KOs) is the humble, family man, a devout Christian and likely future president of his beloved Philippines. The first, and only, champion in eight different weight divisions, Pacman, 36, is, in the words of Mike Tyson, “perpetual motion”: an aggressive, power-puncher who adopts an all-out attacking approach.

Mayweather’s long-held assertion that “styles make fights” is, in part, why there is so much intrigue surrounding the bout. That and a near five-year wait to finally see the two men face off.

Previous attempts to make the fight – most notably in late 2009 – had failed over various issues, including division of the purse and drug testing protocols. Mayweather demanded a 60-40 split and Olympic-style testing amongst others. Pacquiao finally relented.

But is that a sign of what’s to come? While many fight experts predict a Mayweather points win, others are backing Fighting Pride of the Philippines to shock the world, chief among them Oscar De La Hoya.