FightHype.com caught up with former featherweight champion Kevin Kelley to get his thoughts on the megafight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao. "The stuff he's doing is historically impossible and he's doing it; it's incredible. Pacquiao's retiring more men than social security right now (laughing). He retires De La Hoya, he retired Ricky Hatton and Cotto is all but retired. I mean, he's beating these guys so bad," he stated as he spoke about Manny Pacquiao's incredible run through the years.
Kelley, who's seen his fair share of boxing styles after competing for 21 years in 72 professional bouts, thinks that although Mayweather is a phenomenal boxer, it's Pacquiao who is the true fighter inside the ring. "I don't see that fight being as explosive as everybody else sees it. It's like I said a long time ago, it takes two fighters to put on a great fight. There is no such thing as great fighters, only good fighters that put on great fights. Manny Pacquiao has great skills, but I feel there are fighters and then there are boxers," Kelley pointed out. "Here is an example: Gatti was a fighter. He was a fighter and not a boxer. The problem with boxing is this: we're taught to do something that the people don't want to see. We're educated to make you miss and make you pay. People don't want to see that. They want to see hit for hit, fall for fall; that's fighting."
Kelley believes that the difference in boxing and fighting is the reason why Manny Pacquiao is considered to be the most exciting boxer in the world right now, whereas Mayweather and his style is considered to be boring by a lot of fans. "Everybody wants to see a competitive fight. If it looks too easy for me, they don't want to watch it. I was undefeated for 8 ½ years and was beating everybody easy, but nobody ever talks about those fights," he added. "There is a certain criteria in the sport and Mayweather doesn't meet that criteria. Think about it. Will he be remembered for his legacy? No. I hate to say it, but he needs the kind of fight where he takes a beating somehow, maybe down 3 rounds or knocked down 1 time, and he has to come back to take you out."
Will Pacquiao the fighter come out on top or will Mayweather the boxer prove to be too skilled? Will it turn out to be a boring fight or will it provide the type of fireworks to define the legacy of both men? Hopefully, both Pacquiao and Mayweather will come to terms regarding the blood testing issue so we'll get a chance to see if Kelley is right.
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