PACQUIAO NOT SCARED OF MAYWEATHER
By Eddie Alinea
PhilBoxing.com
Thu, 12 Mar 2015
LOS ANGELES - Filipino boxing hero Manny Pacquiao has never been afraid of unbeaten American Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Thus, declared the reigning World Boxing Organization welterweight champion during the press conference held Wednesday at the Nokia Theater here.
In his turn to be interviewed during the three-tier meeting with media men, Pacquiao admitted he was more worried about Miguel Cotto and Oscar DeLa Hoya, whom he faced and knocked out in 2009 and 2008, respectively on the way to establishing a 57-5-2 win-loss-draw record with 38 Ko?s, than the current World Boxing Council and World Boxing Association crown holder.
Pacquiao and Mayweather try to erase each other out and unify the 147-pound division on May 2 in Las Vegas and decide which between them earns the bragging right as the ``Greatest Fighter`` in this era, if not all-time.
The only man on earth to crown himself 10 world tiaras in eight divisions, stopped the legendary DeLa Hoya in the eighth round on Dec. 6 that year in the process retiring the American Olympian for good on his stool.
Pacquiao took longer in demolishing Cotto in the 12th November 14 the following year via the same TKO verdict.
"? was more worried about DeLa Hoya and Cotto when I met them on separate occasions," Pacquiao, who came in the press-public preview with Top Rank high priest Bob Arum and chief trainer Freddie Roach, reminisced showing confidence that he can beat the 47-0 record in their MGM Grand Arena date.
Mayweather was interviewed first during the three-tier meet the press coming almost an hour late in scheduled 11 a.m. turn an expressed his thanks that the much-sought after fight will push through finally after five years of futile exercise.
Both Mayweather and Pacquiao vowed to make the best of their 12-round welterweight unification showdown during presscon. Mayweather, for one, expressed elation that, at long last, the bout the entire international boxing community had long sought-after will come to fruition.
Pacquiao expressed the same sentiment, adding that the fight, which took five long years to materialize, is worth the wait. ̒m so happy that this fight, which everybody in the entire sporting world has been waiting to happen, is finally on,``the 36-year-old Father of five with wife and Sarangani Vice Gov. Jinkee said.
Neither fighter ventured to make prediction as to who between them will win, except to say that they have been doing their best to prepare to fight the best they could and make the fans happy.
The Sarangani fighting Congressman, for his part, reiterated an earlier statement made during the General Santos City leg of his training camp that, this early, he considers the world`s boxing fans as the winner from the time Mayweather announced that their encounter will push through.
"As I said upon announcement that the fight will finally be held, it is the fans which are the real winner here because that?s means their thirst for the fight to be realized had been satisfied, `he stress.
All throughout the interview portion of the press conference, Mayweather was in his unfamiliar meek and tamed self, no thrash-talking nor harsh words were directed to his Filipino rival leading most of the interviewers top interpret his action as respect to Pacquiao, who, on several occasions in the past he has insulted and looked down.
Pacquiao himself came half-an-hour late and was accompanied by chief trainer Freddie Roach and Top Rank big man Bob Arum.
"The fact that some 700 media men from all over the world are here is proof of the huge impact of the fight to the viewing public," Arum said.
Roach said his training team, which includes his deputies Bubo Fernandez, Roger ``Haplas`Fernandez and Nonoy Neri, is preparing Pacquiao to win.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Eddie Alinea.
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