With all the rules imposed by Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao had a very slim chance of winning the bout. Pacquiao had no choice but accept Mayweather demands, otherwise the much-awaited bout never would have materialized. It was 5 years in the making and Pacquiao as challenger became the underdog as the purse split was 60/40 in favour of Floyd.
At the beginning of the fight, the one-sided rules — among others were announced as follows:
1. No mandatory standing 8 count rule
2. Three knock downs would not be considered as TKO
3. There would be no rematch if Mayweather wins; mandatory rematch if Pacquiao wins
The above rules were of course an aberration of the standard rules of professional boxing.
As Pacquiao declared at the end of the match, Mayweather hardly threw any punch at all. He just kept on clinching and dancing away from Pacquiao, making it even more difficult for the Filipino 8-division world champion to make use of his killer punches. In spite of Floyd’s evasive tactics, Pacquiao was able to land some hard left hooks that must have really hurt Mayweather.
But the Black American was also tough. He was not knocked down even once and was able to stand firm on the canvass.
This writer knew that Pacquiao needed to demonstrate a decisive win. As challenger, he needed to knock out Mayweather, or at least knock him down a number of times. Mayweather was aware of that possibility. Therefore, he made sure that the standard 3 knock downs would not be applicable or considered a Technical Knock Out.
But the odds were really against the Congressman from Saranggani. Two of the judges were from Nevada, the hometown of Mayweather and the referee was Black. Easily anyone would call it as a hometown decision.