BY JUN MEDINA SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

WASHINGTON, D.C.: Manny “PacMan” Pacquiao is capable of hurting defensive genius Floyd Mayweather Jr. because of the Filipino’s unorthodox style and explosiveness, according to legendary American heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield.

Describing the March 13 Pacquiao-Mayweather showdown as a “very dangerous fight for Floyd,” Holyfield also noted that May-weather has a history of having problems with southpaws who also have high work rates.

“[Pacquiao] may be the only person that will be able to hurt Mayweather if he catches him with shots because he doesn’t throw his punches straight,” Holyfield told Julian Esquivel of FightFan Nation.com.

Holyfield—formerly the undisputed heavyweight world champion and the only fighter to win the heavyweight championship four times—thinks Pacquiao’s ability to throw punches in bunches and from different angles could pose a serious challenge to Mayweather.

As great as a technical boxer Mayweather is, Holyfield said the undefeated American welterweight star would have to parry too many punches coming from different directions.

“Mayweather may be one of the most skillful fighters ever,” Holyfield, 47, observed. But since Pacquiao throws five shots at a time “[Mayweather’s] going to get hit with something, so I think this is the fight that’s going to make or break Floyd.”

“This fight . . . can make Floyd great. This fight can break him. [If] he beats this guy; he beats someone who is sensational,” said Holyfield.

Holyfield recalled that at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, where Mayweather won the bronze medal, then-19-year-old Mayweather lost to a left-handed Bulgarian opponent who pressured him through most of the semifinal fight.

“The only fight that I saw Floyd lose was in the Olympics in Atlanta. It was the last fight that he lost and it was [against] a left-handed guy. And the only way he beat Floyd, is Floyd is a spot fighter, he fights in spots so what he did was he made Floyd fight more than Floyd wanted to fight,” Holyfield.

“I think with Pacquiao, he’s going to put on a lot of pressure. If he puts a lot of pressure on Floyd, either Floyd is going to catch him, or he’s going to be hitting Floyd.”

Pacquiao is going to throw a hundred punches, Holyfield said, adding that the Filipino is capable of hitting Mayweather because “he’s got that much energy to do that and it seems like he likes doing that.”

“He [Pacquiao] never runs out, he’s just one of those guys that goes ratatatat. So if Floyd lets him build up and throw all those punches it could be a one sided fight [for Pacquiao],” Holyfield said.