Share

Murray to back Mayweather

Indian Wells - British tennis star and avid boxing fan Andy Murray has weighed in with his prediction for the Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather mega fight on May 2.

Murray says American Mayweather has two things in his favour, including the Las Vegas home-crowd advantage. The other is Mayweather's ability to use his superb defence to build up points if it goes the distance.

"That's his hometown," Murray said of the gambling mecca in the Nevada desert. "He's spoken a little bit about how much he means to the economy of the city.

"If it goes to the scorecards, I would think it would be tough for Pacquiao to win.

Murray spent some time in the Philippines last year where he was able to meet Pacquiao. Having talked to Pacquiao in person he now understands why 'Pacman' is so immensely popular in his native country.

"He's a huge, huge star. You know, the whole country pretty much stops when he fights," said Murray, who is in Palm Springs to compete in this week's ATP and WTA Tour Indian Wells tennis tournament.

"I obviously didn't get to know him well. I only spent five or ten minutes with him. It was a nice experience for me."

Murray, who is seeded fourth overall, defeated Canada's Vasek Pospisil 6-1, 6-3 in his opening match on Saturday.

He is coming off a difficult 2014 season after finishing 2013 in historic fashion by becoming the first Brit in 77 years to win Wimbledon.

He spent much of 2014 recovering from back surgery. Murray started to get back into form at the end of 2014 and looks ready to challenge in Indian Wells where his best result was reaching the finals in 2009.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
26% - 1273 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1470 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2249 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE