Manny Pacquiao pronounced himself
ready to fight Floyd Mayweather, saying
he’s willing to engage the unbeaten
American in the middle of the ring if
that’s what it takes to win,
The eagerly-anticipated May 2
welterweight unification showdown in
Las Vegas promises to be the most
lucrative fight in boxing history.
“I am very excited,” Pacquiao said at the
Wild Card gym in Hollywood during the
week. “My training and my conditioning
is good. I can feel it. I am ready.”
Pacquiao says that is why he is training
harder and with more drive and
determination than for any other fight in
his career.
“I know this is one of the biggest fights
ever in boxing,” he said.
“I am not saying it is the biggest,
because that would be insulting to the
other fights that have been done already.
“But it is one of the biggest.”
Pacquiao defended his aggressive style
after Mayweather, 38, on Tuesday called
the 36-year-old Filipino superstar a
“reckless” fighter whose careless actions
leads to knockouts.
Pacquiao said boxing fans appreciate a
fighter who comes to box and put on a
good show.
“Reckless fighter, that is how people like
me and love me,” Pacquiao said.
“Fans like an exciting fight. Our sport is
called boxing, people like a boxer.”
Pacquiao spoke in Hollywood at the final
news conference before he heads to Las
Vegas for the fight at the MGM Grand
Hotel and Casino.
The boxer said he doesn’t need a
blockbuster fight with Mayweather to
define his legacy, that winning titles in
eight divisions has far exceeded his
expectations.
“My entire career defines my legacy.
Everything I have done in boxing,” he
said.
“I have had some great, great
accomplishments and achievements in
my career. I won titles in eight different
weight divisions.”
His hall-of-fame career has surpassed
anything he could have imagined when
he got into sport after someone told him
he could earn 100 pesos (about $2) for a
fight.
The 12-year-old used the money from
that first decision victory to buy rice for
his poverty-stricken family in the
Philippines.
“I don’t want to boast and talk about the
eight different weight divisions, but that
accomplishment is amazing. Beyond my
expectation,” he said.
“When I started boxing, I never imagined
it.”
Pacquiao spoke to a small group of
reporters in the basement of the Wild
Card gym in Hollywood.
He then went upstairs to the main gym
for a workout in front of a standing-room
only crowd of photographers and
television cameras.
Pacquiao began his workout with a
shadow-boxing session without gloves.
Wearing a grey t-shirt with the words
Team Pacquiao on the back, he worked
out on his own for several minutes, while
trainer Freddie Roach watched from the
corner as the throng of media pressed up
against the outside of the ring.
Pacquiao said the fight would have never
seen the light of day if he hadn’t agreed
to a 60/40 split of the purse, with
Mayweather getting the bigger share.
He sought, but failed to get Mayweather
to agree on a $5 million penalty for
anyone who fails a drug test in the
buildup to the fight.
Mayweather had previously accused
Pacquiao of using performance-
enhancing drugs, which became one of
the stumbling blocks that helped scuttle
previous negotiations.
“I suggested it. I was surprised he turned
it down,” Pacquiao said.
“I was surprised because I was not the
one making accusations. They were the
ones blaming me because I didn’t want
to drug test.”
Pacquiao said he had already been tested
about six times since the May 2 fight was
announced.
The two fighters also declined to put a
rematch clause in the contract.
“The negotiations for the first one were
so hard,” Pacquiao said.
“How can we talk about a second one?
The first one was so hard to make
happen.”
