It’s finally here. After years of negotiation rope-a-dope from both sides, the two greatest boxers on the planet will finally go toe-to-toe. Besides that it probably should have happened around 2010, the long-awaited “Fight of the Century” between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao could not be more superb. A perfect storm had to occur for this bout to finally be agreed upon, and it did, evidenced by the fighters’ chance encounter in Miami last year. But perhaps more importantly, Saturday’s match has the perfect narrative: the two fighters, despite being equally talented, differ in almost every way possible. Their distinctions begin stylistically and within boxing technique, but when you examine the competitors’ track record, both in and out of the ring, their stories diverge more sharply.

Mayweather has mastered the art of controlled, defensive boxing, and as a counterpuncher with no equal, he calculates every second he spends in the ring. He doesn’t aim to knock his opponent out (rumors persist of a permanent power outage), but Mayweather controls every second of the fight. Even supposedly without any pop behind them, every shot lands cleanly so that the scorecards eventually give him the unanimous decision victory. Mayweather fights like a doctor performs a surgery: precise, flawless, boring. But money.

Pacquiao, on the other hand, is wild and frenetic. He's the proverbial bull in the china shop, despite his 5-foot-6 frame. He presses on the offensive, hoping his speed and anticipation will allow his punches to land before a skilled defensive fighter such as Mayweather can counter. Pacquiao thrives when things seem out of control, when he can trade shots with his opponents to take advantage of his prodigious punching power. 

Counterpuncher versus brawler, orthodox versus southpaw, precision versus power – Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao are almost opposites when it comes to fighting styles, and their different strategies could complement each other to make Saturday’s bout one of the most memorable in boxing history. Both fighters display a mastery of the sweet science that one doesn't need to be a boxing fan to appreciate. Unfortunately, “Money” Mayweather, for all his talent and unmatched technique, is not someone one can root for. 

Even inside the ring, Mayweather Jr. is, for a lack of a better non-expletive description, ... a poor sport. In addition to being a prolific trash talker, he notoriously knocked out Victor Ortiz in 2011 with a brutal sucker punch (see below right).

This came in the fourth round of a fight that Mayweather was dominating. It was his response to Ortiz's earlier head-butt, when the young fighter desperately tried to establish himself in a bout that he was rapidly losing control of. Mayweather could have danced his way to the easiest unanimous decision victory of his career after Ortiz was a docked a point for his foul... but he didn't. 

So why did he punch the hapless Ortiz? It's fair to guess that it was because he was upset about the head-butt. It’s just the way “Money” rolls, and his post-fight interview with Larry Merchant only furthered the point that it's almost impossible to root for the greatest American boxer of this generation. 

(Warning: video contains explicit language)

Compare Mayweather’s persona to Pacquiao’s. Mayweather has become synonymous with cockiness and flaunting his wealth. Beyond just an abrasive personality, he also has a dark history in domestic violence. Pacquiao, on the other hand, is known as “the Congressman”: a man who invested millions back into his destitute home of Sarangani after being one of the few from his village to break free of poverty. In the ring, he seems equally compassionate (at least, as far as pugilists go), even asking referee Kenny Bayless to stop his bout against Antonio Margarito after Pacquiao rearranged his opponent’s face in one of his career's most dominant performances. As Mayweather attracts attention by spending obscene amounts of money, Pacquiao makes headlines for singing pop hits. Seeing a pattern here?

Looking at this weekend’s “Fight of the Century” purely from a boxing standpoint, there is no reason to root for one man over the other. Anyone can appreciate Mayweather Jr.’s impeccable technique and Pacquiao’s blinding hand speed. It becomes easy to pick a side, however, once one sees how differently the two best pound-for-pound fighters of the era approach their lives both in and out of the ring. Simply put, Mayweather’s history of poor sportsmanship and generally being a man of low character makes it nearly impossible to root for 48-0.

But when the bell rings on Saturday and Floyd puts on a clinic, will we still watch in awe and involuntarily let out a cheer when he (inevitably) lands the perfect counterpunch? Without a doubt. Whether you love or hate either of the boxers, Mayweather vs. Pacquiao is the biggest boxing event in decades and probably the biggest since the Ali-Fraizer bouts 40 years ago. Two men this talented rarely go toe-to-toe in today’s boxing world – don’t overthink it, just enjoy it.

Reach Staff Writer Oliver Jung here.