The Sunday Mail
MANNY PACQUIAO
MANNY PACQUIAO is willing to engage Floyd Mayweather in the middle of the ring if that is what it takes to beat the American next month.
Pacquiao on Wednesday defended his aggressive style after Mayweather, 38, had called the 36-year-old Filipino a “reckless” fighter whose careless actions could result in knock-outs.
Pacquiao said the fans appreciated a fighter who came 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.
Speaking about the welterweight title unification showdown in Las Vegas on May 2, Pacquiao said he had been training harder and with more drive and determination than for any other fight in his career.
“My training and my conditioning is good. I can feel it. I am ready. I am very excited,” Pacquiao said at the Wild Card gym in Hollywood.
Pacquiao was speaking at his final news conference before leaving for Las Vegas for the fight at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino.
The Filipino said his “killer instinct” and will to win were as strong as ever and rejected suggestions that he is past his prime.
“The inspiration and determination is back and the killer instinct is there. I love it. I like it,” Pacquiao said.
Pacquiao, who had also been accused of neglecting his boxing and concentrating too much on his political career, hit back by saying: “I feel very motivated.”
He then went upstairs to the main gym for a workout in front of a crowd of photographers and television cameras.
He began his workout with a shadow-boxing session without gloves. Wearing a grey T-shirt with “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.
“I know this is one of the biggest fights ever in boxing,” he said at the media conference.
““I am not saying it is the biggest, because that would be insulting to other fights. But it is one of the biggest.”
The former multi-division champion said he did not need a blockbuster fight with Mayweather to define his legacy.
Winning titles in eight divisions had 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.”
His hall-of-fame career had surpassed anything he could have imagined when he got into the sport after someone had told him he could earn 100 pesos (about $2) for a fight.
The 12-year-old used the money from that first victory to buy rice for his poverty-stricken family in the Philippines.
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 build-up 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.
Pacquiao said he had already been tested about six times since the May 2 fight was announced.
The two also declined to put a rematch clause in the contract. “The negotiations for the first one were so hard,” he said. “How can we talk about a second one? The first one was so hard to make happen.” — AFP.
