Mayweather Will Beat Pacquiao Silly—Okorodudu

IN the early 1990s, former Olympian, Jeremiah Okorodudu, trained alongside the most-sought-after-American boxer of the moment, Floyd Mayweather in California.

Then, Mayweather was boxing in the amateur category, while Okorodudu was doing his business as a professional boxer. They met regularly at California training ground in the United States. Okorodudu has since retired from the boxing ring, after his exploit at Los Angeles ‘84 Olympics, where he lost controversially to South Korea’s So Chun Park, after mercilessly pummeling the Korean.

He relocated from the United States in 1996, but the memories of his training days with Floyd Mayweather is still fresh in his mind. Now, American boxing fans and followers of boxing across the globe are looking forward to the May 2 big showdown between Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao of Philippine in Las Vergas, and Okorodudu says he is ready to put his money on Mayweather.

“I don’t see Pacquiao surviving Mayweather in Las Vergas on May 2,” Okorodudu told The Guardian yesterday. “I have trained with Mayweather in his amateur days in California and I knew he was going to be a great boxer.

I foresee a situation whereby Mayweather will frustrate Pacquiao from the beginning of that fight till the end,” Okorodudu said. American boxing fans will have to pay up to $100 (£67.48) to watch the big fight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

The fight is expected to shatter PPV buy records and gross millions of dollars with the ticket prices ranging from $3,500 to $250,000 and the PPV is expected to cost US$89.95 for SD and US$99.95 for HD. Boxing experts say this match could be the richest fight in boxing history and could generate $300 million.

In his days, one bout many Nigerian residents in the United States, especially those in the city of California will always remember Okorodudu for, was his professional fight against American Rick Wilson. It was a contest for the California State title, which ended in a draw.

Though the fight ended in a draw, many Nigerian and American fans were so thrilled by Okorodudu’s display against Rick Wilson. They threw coins into the ring in appreciation of his good boxing skills at the end.

Jerry, as he is fondly called, was 22 when he represented Nigeria at Los Angeles ’84 Olympics. With the World attention now focused on the Mayweather versus Pacquiao big fight in Las Vegas, Okorodudu is so optimistic that the American will carry the day.

“I have been following their boxing record and one thing that is going to work in favour of Mayweather is the fact that he has shown over time his hunger for the title. Pacquiao is more interested in the money.”

TV companies HBO and Showtime, both of which will broadcast the fight in the States, confirmed the recommended prices for the May 2 battle as the most expensive in pay-per-view boxing history. The fight itself will set viewers back $89.95 (£60.70), but any HD surcharge up to $10 could be added on by TV providers.

The price represents almost a 40 per cent increase on the previous high of $64.95 (£43.83) for Mayweather’s fight against Canelo Alvarez in September 2013. The fight on May 2 is expected to break the pay-per-view record of $152million set by that fight in 2013, and is also expected to surpass the 2.5 million buys that Mayweather’s fight against Oscar De La Hoya accumulated in 2007.

That means that US viewers will have to cough out over three times the amount that UK watchers will pay to watch the fight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Manny Pacquiao

Sky won the bid war to screen the fight on British shores, and it will be shown on Sky Box Office at a cost of £19.95. Despite predictions that Mayweather–Pacquiao would be the highest grossing fight in history as early as 2009, disagreements between the two boxers’ camps on terms for the fight prevented the bout from coming to fruition until 2015.

On February 20, 2015, Mayweather confirmed on social media that the fight had indeed been signed by himself as Pacquiao already had signed the contract of the fight previously. And as at February this year, Mayweather was still undefeated, with a perfect professional record of 47 fights and 0 losses.

On June 6, 2008, six months after defeating Ricky Hatton by a tenth-round TKO, Mayweather announced his retirement from boxing. At the time, plans were in motion for a rematch with Oscar De La Hoya, which was going to take place September 20, 2008.

“This decision was not an easy one for me to make as boxing is all I have done since I was a child,” Mayweather said. “However, these past few years have been extremely difficult for me to find the desire and joy to continue in the sport.”

At the time of his retirement, The Ring magazine had Mayweather ranked as the number 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world, with Manny Pacquiao, a Philippine, at number 2. During Mayweather’s brief retirement, Pacquiao earned superstar status in much of the western world with his eighth-round TKO victory over Óscar de la Hoya, for which he moved up from lightweight to welterweight (135 pounds to 147 pounds).

But on January 7, 2014, Fighthype.com published an interview with Mayweather, in which he called Pacquiao a “desperate dog” who is chasing a megabout due to his tax problems.

In response, Pacquiao challenged Mayweather to a fight for charity. “I challenge him to include in our fight contract that both of us will not receive anything out of this fight,” Pacquiao said during a phone interview with the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

“We will donate all the proceeds from the fight—guaranteed prize, should there be any, gate receipts, pay-per-view and endorsements—to charities around the world.” In a final taunt, Pacquiao said, “Floyd, if you’re a real man, fight me.

Let’s do it for the love of boxing and for the fans. Let’s do it not for the sake of money. Let’s make the boxing fans happy.” On December 12, 2014, Mayweather proposed a May 2, 2015 fight with Pacquiao, citing his indirect frustration at not being able to make the fight happen in the past by stating that Pacquiao had lost to both Marquez and Bradley, and that he (Pacquiao) was “not on his level”.

He then went on to close his comments with, “Let’s make this fight happen for the people and for the fans. On January 27, 2015, Mayweather and Pacquiao finally met each other face to face for the first time during an NBA game between the Miami Heat and Milwaukee Bucks in Miami.

Pacquiao’s advisor, Michael Koncz, said that they later met at Pacquiao’s hotel for about an hour to discuss the pending superfight and work out the remaining issues. On February 20, 2015, Mayweather announced that the fight was official and had finally been signed to take place on May 2, 2015. Quote “I don’t see Pacquiao surviving Mayweather in Las Vergas on May 2,” Okorodudu told The Guardian yesterday.

“I have trained with Mayweather in his amateur days in California and I knew he was going to be a great boxer.

I foresees a situation whereby Mayweather will frustrate Pacquiao from the beginning of that fight till the end.”