Nagpasiklaban sa kanilang mga mamahaling kasuotan sina boxing superstars Manny Pacquiao at Floyd Mayweather Jr. sa isang red carpet press conference kahapon sa Nokia Theatre sa Los Angeles, California upang opisyal na buksan ang 12-round welterweight world championship unification megafight sa Mayo 2 sa Las Vegas, Nevada.
Tulad ng napagkasunduan, unang nagsalita upang magyabang si Mayweather na iginiit na siya ang nagpasiya para matuloy ang laban.
“We tried to make this fight happen in the past,” ayon sa ulat ng Fightnews.com. “We kept bumping heads. We finally resolved everything…this fight happened because of me…May 2 is when the world stops to tune into Mayweather-Pacquiao, the biggest fight in boxing history.”
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Sinabi naman ni Pacquiao na wawasakin niya ang mahusay na depensa ni Mayweather sa kanilang $200 milyong unification bout.
“We will do our best on May 2 to make you happy…I knew this fight would happen in 2015…he has a good defense, but I’m not worried about that. I can easily break that defense,” ani Pacquiao.
Una rito, sinabi ni Pacquiao sa panayam ng boxing show na “First Take” sa ESPN 2 na mas takot siya nang labanan si dating world champions Oscar de la Hoya, Antonio Margarito at kasalukuyang WBC middleweight titlist Miguel Angel Cotto kaysa kay Mayweather.
“I’m more worried about De La Hoya and Cotto than my fight with Floyd,” giit ni Pacquiao. “My footwork and hand combinations will be my advantage. I tell you Cotto and Margarito punch hard. This is boxing, and it’s about punches,” paliwanag ng PinoY icon.
Sinabi rin niya na takot sa kanya si Mayweather kaya naghintay ang Amerikano ng halos anim na taon bago siya labanan.
“He’s afraid to lose. He took so long because he’s afraid to lose,” dagdag ni Pacquiao. “I’m here to prove that I can easily beat the undefeated. Beating Floyd is good for boxing. When athletes have great success, their success goes to their heads. That is bad for boxing.”
Samantala, sa edad na 38, si Mayweather ang perpektong target para kay Pacquiao, ayon sa trainer ng Filipino ring icon na si Freddie Roach.
Sinabi ni Roach na ang kinatatakutang abilidad ni Mayweather sa depensa ay naglalaho na.
“His legs are little bit shot. He’s slowed down quite a bit,” sabi ni Roach, at idinagdag na naniniwala siya na mas may tsansa si Mayweather na matalo si Pacquiao noong nagdaang limang taon.
“He is going to have to exchange more,” dagdag ni Roach at ipinagpag ang ideya na mas nais na ni Mayweather na makipagsabayan upang mapasaya ang fans.
“He doesn’t care about the fans. He has to exchange more because his legs won’t take him out of the way, if he has to exchange with Manny Pacquiao he is in trouble.”
Bibitbitin ni Mayweather ang 47-0 rekord kasama ang 26 knockouts sa laban sa MGM Grand Garden Arena sa Las Vegas.
Bagamat mas bata si Pacquiao ng dalawang taon, ang career ng Filipino fighter ay tila kumulimlim matapos ang back-to-back defeats noong 2012.
Ngunit mula noon, nagawa ng southpaw na manalo sa tatlong sunod na laban upang iangat ang kanyang rekord sa 57-5, kasama ang dalawang draws at 38 knockoouts.
Siya ang underdog, ngunit sinabi niya kahapon na nagiging gasolina lamang ito upang mas umigting ang kanyang competitive fire.
“I like that,” sambit ni Pacquiao. “It gives me more motivation, more determination to focus on the fight and prove something.”
