Go for knockout, Manny Pacquiao urged

(L-R) Manny Pacquiao and Shane Mosley pose after the weigh-in for their WBO welterweight title fight at MGM Grand Garden Arena on May 6, 2011 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Pacquiao will defend his WBO welterweight title against Mosley on May 7, 2011 in Las Vegas Chris Trotman/Getty Images/AFP

LAS VEGAS—Will Manny Pacquiao be the first man to knock Shane Mosley out?

Or will Mosley turn back the clock and shock the world?

The answer will be known Saturday (Sunday in Manila) when they tangle for Pacquiao’s World Boxing Organization welterweight crown at the MGM Grand Garden Arena here.

Pacquiao, the Fighter of the Decade, has been installed an overwhelming 6-1 favorite to beat Mosley, a former three-division champion, who’s out to prove that he’s no washout and is still an elite fighter at the age of 39.

Mosley owns the longest wingspan (74 inches) among Pacquiao’s opponents thus far, but boxing pundits deemed his 7 1/2-inch reach advantage won’t be enough to overcome the eight-division titlist’s blurring hand speed and nimble footwork.

Five-time trainer of the year Freddie Roach has predicted a knockout for Pacquiao, while Mosley believes he still has the skills and the power to stop his shorter (2 1/2 inches) and lighter (at least 10 pounds) opponent.

Weight difference

Though Pacquiao weighed in at 145 lb Friday, only 2 lb lighter than Mosley’s 147, the weight difference will magnify overnight as the Filipino hasn’t reached 150 lb yet, while Mosley is used to fighting at over 160.

Both Pacquiao, who owns a record of 51 wins, three losses and two draws, and Mosley (46-6-1, and one no-contest), claim they have had their best fight camps ever, with Pacquiao spending most of his preparations at Roach’s Wild Card Gym in Hollywood and Mosley doing high-altitude training in Big Bear, California.

Both can down opponents with either hand, with Mosley enjoying a higher knockout rate of 85 percent on 39 knockouts as against Pacquiao’s 73 percent. This is misleading, though, as Mosley’s first 35 knockouts came in his first 38 bouts.

Slow starter

In contrast, Pacquiao developed his power gradually, stopping only five of his first 11 opponents before kissing the canvas himself against Rustico Torrecampo on Feb. 9, 1996.

After settling for unanimous decision triumphs over Joshua Clottey and Antonio Margarito in his last two bouts, Pacquiao has been instructed by Roach to go for the knockout and add it to his legacy as the greatest fighter of his generation.

A mere 106 lb when he started fighting at 16, Pacquiao went on to snatch the WBC flyweight (112), IBF super bantam (122), Ring Magazine (126), WBC super featherweight (130), WBC lightweight (135), IBO light welterweight (140), WBO welterweight (147) and WBC super welterweight (154) titles.

Common opponent

The 5-foot-6 1/2 Pacquiao wrested his eighth title by fighting at a catch weight of 150 lb against Margarito, whom Mosley stopped in the ninth round in 2009.

After that Margarito win, Mosley’s career went downhill. He lost to Floyd Mayweather Jr. by unanimous decision and settled for a draw with Sergio Mora in his last fight last year.

For trainer Naazim Richardson, Mosley, the first African-American Pacquiao will face, stands a good chance of pulling off an upset if he can summon the same reflexes and intensity he displayed against Margarito.

Another common opponent for the protagonists was Oscar De La Hoya, whom Mosley beat twice in 2000 and 2003 and whom Pacquiao stopped in the eighth round and sent him to eventual retirement in 2008.

No Pacman forecast

As usual, Pacquiao refuses to predict a knockout, saying that if it comes, it will be a bonus.

Roach, on the other hand, said Pacquiao will be the first to knock out Mosley, who is noted for his iron chin, within the fifth to the seventh rounds.

Pacquiao, already the Philippine’s richest congressman, is guaranteed a $20-million purse while Mosley gets $5 million.

According to Hall-of-Fame fight promoter Bob Arum, however, Pacquiao can rake in as much as $10 million more with the way pay-per-view and closed-circuit sales have been proceeding. Tickets at the 17,000-seat Arena have been sold out as early as five weeks ago.

That will guarantee his biggest paycheck ever.

Wear yellow

Expect yellow to be the dominant color on fight night as Pacquiao, who’ll be donning yellow gloves, has requested his supporters to wear yellow as a sign of peace and unity in the country’s fight against poverty.

There are reports that at least 70 Filipino congressmen have flown in to this glitzy entertainment and gaming capital to watch their colleague in action.

Also here are Pacquiao’s longtime supporters—Ilocos Sur Gov. Chavit Singson and former Manila Mayor Lito Atienza.

Referee

International singing sensation Charice Pempengco, the first Asian to crash the US Billboard top 10 with the mega-hit “Pyramid,” will sing the national anthem.

The third man in the ring in Pacquiao’s 20th US fight and 12th in Las Vegas, Nevada, will be Kenny Bayless.

The fight card, to be beamed in 120 countries by Showtime and CBS, will also feature the WBO super bantamweight title fight between Wilfredo Vasquez (20-0-1, 17 knockouts) and veteran Jorge Arce (56-6-2, 43 knockouts) and the super middleweight collision between former world champion Kelly Pavlik (36-2, 32 knockouts) and unbeaten Alfonso Lopez (21-0, 16 knockouts).

Another Filipino, former world champion Rodel Mayol (27-5-2, 25 knockouts), will battle with Javier Gallo of Mexico (17-3-1, 9 knockouts) in a nontelevised flyweight bout.

If Pacquiao proves true to form and trounce Mosley, his next fight will be on Nov. 12 to complete a trilogy with Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez at the same venue.