Bonilla: Mayweather-Pacquiao 2, if it happens, worth the wait

Published 11:30 pm Friday, May 8, 2015

Floyd Mayweather defeated Manny Pacquiao on Saturday by unanimous decision. Although a unanimous decision is not what many boxing fans expected or necessarily wanted.

The prematurely labeled Fight of the Century, due to the nearly six-year wait, didn’t live up to the hype in the eyes of many.

No blood, no knockdowns, no knockouts and a fairly easy win by Mayweather, considering judge Dave Moretti scored the bout 118-110.

This fight could have been The Fight of the Century, had there been more punches exchanged and a couple of knockdowns, like a Marvin Hagler-Tommy Hearns bout.

Instead, we got typical Mayweather and atypical Pacquiao. Mayweather was clever, fast handed and defensive minded, which is his style. Pacquiao — the quick-footed, fast-handed knockout artist — didn’t look the same.

Pacquiao, who has 38 wins by knockout, managed to hit Mayweather only 81 times, which was 19 percent of his punches. In Pacquiao’s match against Chris Algieri, he landed 34 percent of his punches.

This left a bad taste in the mouths of a lot of people around the world who ordered a $100 pay-per-view to watch what turned out to be a $10 fight.

So, why did Pacquiao land so few of his punches? Is Mayweather that good defensively or did something bother Pacquiao?

Pacquiao’s camp says it was a shoulder injury suffered a few weeks prior to the fight. A shoulder injury hidden when, in a medical questionnaire leading up to the bout, Pacquiao answered no when asked if he had any injury that needed evaluation.

Pacquiao’s torn rotator cuff was surgically repaired Wednesday afternoon.

But, the question is: How hurt was his shoulder prior to the fight?

There is a lot of speculation as to the extent of Pacquiao’s shoulder injury and how much it affected his performance. Speculations that would give fans a reason to rally behind him and push for a rematch.

Fans that believe their original questions were not answered in the first bout. Questions of whether Mayweather could beat Pacquiao and which one of the two were the best boxer of the modern era.

Mayweather answeredthese questions in a 12-round test at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. To some fans, however, Pacquiao’s injury casts new doubt toward the validity of Mayweather’s performance.

Surely there are Pacquiao fans who believe their man would knock out Mayweather with a healthy right shoulder.

The speculation of the true health of Pacquiao’s shoulder makes the idea of a rematch appealing. There is also a lack of interest toward any other opponent Mayweather could face.

Danny Garcia and Amir Khan are both great young fighters ascending to superstar status, but those two won’t have the same draw as a rematch with Pacquiao.

Plus, with Mayweather planning to fight in September, and Pacquiao not being able to fight for around a year, Garcia-Mayweather or Khan-Mayweather could be a bout in between Mayweather-Pacquiao 2.

For those in favor of a rematch, and those who aren’t, both can get what they want before fall 2016.

In order for this fight to come close to the hype it received the first time around, it has to meet two conditions. Pacquiao has to be, without a doubt, 100 percent healthy. The fight needs to take place closer to the Philippines.

That will show Mayweather is willing to leave the obvious home turf advantage Las Vegas offers and give it a feeling similar to The Thrilla In Manila.

No matter the place or time, Mayweather-Pacquiao 2, if it happens, is worth the wait and money.