Mayweather to dominate Pacquiao after six rounds, says Hopkins

MANILA, Philippines – Two-division world champion Bernard Hopkins believes that Floyd Mayweather Jr will have his way against Manny Pacquiao after six rounds in their long-awaited ring encounter on May 2 (May 3 in PH).

Hopkins, who holds the record as the oldest boxer to ever win a world title, stressed that Mayweather’s defensive style of fighting will play a pivotal factor in the second half of the bout.

“Pacquiao is not the best defensive fighter. Mayweather is going to sharp shoot, and not only is Mayweather going to fight back when he needs to, but after that sixth round, it’s done,” he said in an interview with FightHype.com’s Percy Crawford.

The 50-year-old fighter from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania assumes that Mayweather will smoothly cruise to a decision victory after the sixth round as he sees Pacquiao as a target practice for the sport’s reigning pound-for-pound king.

“I believe the second half of these 12 rounds is going to be a target practice for Floyd. And it’s going to be a situation where he is putting a show on just so people can get their monies. That’s my bold statement and I stick by it. Now, let’s wait eight to nine weeks and see what happens,” Hopkins explained.

Although he gives Mayweather the nod to take home a 12-round verdict against the Filipino boxing icon, Hopkins is not turning a blind eye on the speed and power of Pacquiao, who captured numerous championship belts in eight different weight classes.

“I could be wrong, but then again, I could be right. The first five or six rounds, it’s going to be a back-and-forth fight because of Pacquiao’s aggression,” he stated. – Rappler.com