THE BLUE CORNER
Meikle's four reasons why Mayweather wins the fight.-
Money, money, money
Friendship might be the bread of life - but money is the honey.
And no athlete in sports history understands that better than Floyd ''Money'' Mayweather, who has already earned US$400 million ($524 million) during his boxing career and is tipped to retire with career earnings exceeding a billion.
He agreed to this fight principally for the money at stake, and the motivation to maintain his spending habits - to buy eight more Rolls-Royces and blow a few million more at the blackjack table - will spur him to victory.
The legacy
Perhaps the only thing Mayweather cares more about than money is his status as one of the greatest boxers in the history of the sport. He is undefeated, and just three wins away from a 50-0 record, after which retirement will beckon.
Sheer desire to protect his legacy and status as the pound-for-pound champion in boxing will ensure Mayweather does not succumb to complacency.
Dee-fence
In plain terms, Mayweather's greatest asset will trump Pacquiao's greatest asset.
Yes, Manny has the hand speed and the punching power to do some serious damage.
But he will not get a chance.
Floyd is a defensive genius.
It might be easy to predict his approach but that does not mean it is easy to combat.
He will set the tone of the fight from the opening bell, staying out of trouble and landing just enough shots to win on the card.
Age has wearied him
As a Pacquiao fan, it pains me to say this: stick a fork in Pacman, because he is done.
The wonderful little Filipino was the most exciting thing in boxing in his prime. Sadly, his prime was a long time ago.
He's been bashed and beaten in recent years, and that speed - while still exceptional - is not what it used to be.
I think Pacquiao is a wonderful human being, and Mayweather's multiple domestic abuse charges have him filed squarely in the opposite camp.
But Floyd wins, and wins comfortably.
THE RED CORNER
Flaherty's four reasons why Pacquiao wins the fight.-
Fear
Nothing weighs on an athlete like an unbeaten streak.
The great Edwin Moses, the American 400m hurdler unbeaten over almost 10 years, said near the end walking out to the track became like the procession to his execution.
Floyd Mayweather has never lost as a pro (apart from the night in 2002 Jose Luis Castillo beat him up in the eyes of everyone but the judges) and he prizes that 0 on his record more than any belt or any amount of money.
Notice how quiet he's been in the build-up.
He's bigger, faster and stronger than Manny but - like the All Blacks at World Cup time - the fear of losing will make him smaller, slower and weaker.
Freddie Roach
For a time there, when Manny was off the rails and flushing his talent away with gambling, drinking - ''and women'' as he famously piped up when Jimmy Kimmel was listing the fighter's sins - the immense skill of his coach was lost to him.
Roach prepares like a forensic detective, peering through the microscope of hours and hours of film to penetrate deep into the armoury and psyche of each opponent.
Compare Pacquiao's knockout loss to Marquez, when he recklessly followed up a feint by lunging into the pocket where Marquez's right hand waited, to his measured dismantling of Timothy Bradley in their rematch when he followed his coach's precision script to the letter.
Evolution
It's beyond question that Manny has slowed down but he's also evolved into a much smarter fighter who knows volume punching and clever angles alone won't get the job done against Floyd.
Instead of staying in constant motion, he's learned to conserve energy by leaning on fighters and create his angles by pushing off - leaving the other guy unbalanced and vulnerable.
He's finally conceded the virtue in clinching when necessary.
And the new Manny's also willing to be patient and use distance when he has his guy on the ropes, utilising his lead hook to check sideways movement away from his power hand.
Plus, he hasn't slowed down that much!
Styles make fights
If you had to design a fighter to beat Mayweather you'd invent a fast southpaw, with superb lateral movement and bombs in both hands.
Manny is the worst possible match-up for a fighter whose legs have slowed and who's increasingly shy of conflict.
Even if Manny offers up the same chance he handed to Marquez, Floyd won't be there to take it.
He'll read the feint, but instead of attacking, he'll freak out and retreat way, way back to hide behind that pretty face behind that high left shoulder.
