Manny Pacquiao. (Chris Farina, Top Rank)
It’s hard to imagine Filipino boxing great Manny Pacquiao going into a bout as a long shot. But for the eight-division world champion, it is only an added incentive.
“I like being the underdog going into a fight. It has been a while since I’ve been one,” Pacquiao said. “This time around it gives me much more motivation and I am determined to prove that I can win.”
Manny Pacquiao (57-5-2, 38 KOs) will face off against pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather Jr. on May 2 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. The bout will be broadcast by both HBO and Showtime Pay Per View.
“This fight is very important to me and in boxing history,” Pacquiao said at the news conference kicking off the countdown to the match. “We don’t want to leave a question mark in the mind of boxing fans. Boxing fans have been eager to see this fight for five years. They have been asking me the same question and it is finally happening.”
Sport fans around the world were elated on February 20 when Floyd Mayweather (47-0, 26 KOs) announced that the eagerly anticipated fight between him and Pacman had finally been made. Mayweather and Pacquiao established their dominance over boxing’s mid-weight divisions a decade ago and have been skirting and dodging each other for almost as long.
“I believe that this fight has been well worth the wait, “Pacquiao said. “More people are familiar with us as fighters, even people who aren’t fans of boxing know about this fight.”
Pacquiao will enter the ring on May 2 having easily out-pointed a game but overmatched Chris Algieri in November 2014. Prior to that, Pacquiao had defeated Timothy Bradley and Brandon Rios after being flattened in a sixth-round knockout-loss to nemesis Juan Manuel Marquez in 2012.
“I don’t want to judge, but I am very confident about this fight,” Pacquiao said. “I was more worried about my fights against [Oscar] De La Hoya, [Antonio] Margarito and [Miguel] Cotto, than I am with fighting Floyd Mayweather.”
Floyd Mayweather Jr. connects with a right to the face of Victor Ortiz. (Getty)
Mayweather holds an exceptional unblemished record and is coming off back-to-back victories over Argentine slugger Marcos Maidana in May and September of last year.
“I think that Manny Pacquiao is a very interesting fighter,” Mayweather said at the news conference. “For him to get to where he is now, it’s obvious that he has had to do something right.”
Pacquiao, who is currently in camp with Los Angeles-based trainer Freddy Roach, isn’t revealing much about his game plan for the upcoming superfight. But there is one thing he will concede ahead of the bout:
“I will win May 2.”