Pacquiao will be easy pickings for Floyd: Hopkins [1]

ABS-CBNnews.com | 01/22/2013 4:41 PM

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MANILA, Philippines – Former world champion Bernard Hopkins is not keen on watching American superstar Floyd Mayweather Jr. fight Filipino icon Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao, believing that it will be an easy victory for “Money.”

In an interview with ESPN UK [12], “The Executioner” was asked if he believes Pacquiao will ever fight the undefeated American. 

“Who cares now?” Hopkins answered. “It would be easy pickings for Floyd Mayweather.”

Hopkins said Pacquiao will never be the same after suffering a vicious knockout at the hands of Mexican rival Juan Manuel Marquez.

“The way he got knocked out, it’s hard to recover, spiritually, emotionally, and physically. Mentally it’s definitely a challenge,” he said.

The former world light heavyweight champion had picked Mayweather to win against Pacquiao even before the Filipino lost to Marquez, and he is even more confident of his prediction now.

“I picked Floyd Mayweather to win before the knockout. Now if they fight – which I don’t see happening – Floyd Mayweather would make it even easier than I predicted the first time,” Hopkins said.

Hopkins said the two boxers’ different fighting styles was the key factor to the match-up.

“Pacquiao could get hit. He didn’t have the best defense,” Hopkins pointed out. “He didn’t overwhelm guys when he was knocking them out. He out-punched them, he outworked them, and he really beat these guys down.”

“Mayweather keeps his chin tucked – what I consider one of the best defenses in the world. You rarely see Floyd Mayweather or Bernard Hopkin get hit with a flush three-, four-, five-punch combinations,” he added.

But Hopkins stressed that he does not see a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight happening.

“I’ll be surprised if he fights more than one time, and it will probably be with Marquez. That’s the only fight that I can say that he should fight,” Hopkins said.

Pacquiao had immediately ruled out retirement following his loss to Marquez and is aiming to make a comeback in April 2013 before seeking a fifth fight with his Mexican rival in September.