Boxing legend: Whoever wins, it’s still biggest fight in history

HONG KONG—Boxing legend Marvin Hagler’s fabled clash with Sugar Ray Leonard was the superfight of its day but the massively anticipated showdown between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. will eclipse it, Hagler says.

Speaking with Agence France-Presse during a visit to Hong Kong, the 60-year-old said the fight between the world famous welterweights in Las Vegas on May 2 would be the “biggest fight in history,” regardless of who wins.

The fight has echoes of Hagler’s 1987 showdown with Leonard, also staged in Las Vegas, which saw him lose on points in a decision which remains controversial to this day.

Pacquiao and Mayweather are considered the best “pound-for-pound” boxers of their generation and their $200-million clash will finally happen after years of negotiations.

Floyd Mayweather (left) and Manny Pacquiao. AP FILE PHOTOS

“Whether Pacquiao loses in the first round, whether he knocks out Mayweather in the first round, it’s still going to be the biggest fight in history,” said Hagler.

Rocky’s record

Mayweather, 38, has previously recalled watching the Hagler-Leonard clash.

“I remember being a kid and saying there would never be another fight bigger than this,” Mayweather said in an interview before his 2007 fight against Oscar De La Hoya.

The American, who has a 47-0 record with 26 knockouts, is homing in on the iconic 49-0 record of 1950s legend Rocky Marciano, who retired as an undefeated heavyweight champion.

Pacquiao, a devout Christian, by contrast holds a record of 57-5 with 2 draws and 38 knockouts.

‘Fight of my life’

The 36-year-old Filipino earlier this month called the face-off with the undefeated Mayweather “the real fight of my life.”

Hagler was undisputed world middleweight champion for seven years until his fight with Leonard at Caesar’s Palace, which was dubbed “The Super Fight.” Reluctant to draw parallels with the Pacquiao-Mayweather clash, he said that both fighters would just be focused on the result.

“Once you start getting yourself into the fight, it’s not about the money, it’s about the win,” Hagler said.

He said it was too early to call a favorite, despite Las Vegas oddsmakers pegging Mayweather as having the upper hand, noting that “anything can happen from now until May.”

“Mayweather, he’s using his head, he’s using his skills and strategy and let’s hope Pacquiao don’t fall into his tricks.”

Intense buildup to fight

Hagler said that if Pacquiao won, he would be “a worldwide figure, bigger than what he expected.”

Hagler was in Hong Kong with Laureus Sports for Good Foundation, which provides coaching and education to young people in the most deprived environments around the world.

The Pacquiao-Mayweather clash is still two months away but already there’s a bit of trash talking just to spice things up before the big fight.

Pacquiao trainer Freddie Roach is in Macau for a fight involving China’s Zou Shiming, but he’s making plenty of noise before he returns to Los Angeles on Sunday to train Pacquiao.

Roach seems to be giving early notice to the Mayweather camp that the buildup to the fight will be as intense as the bout itself.

“Floyd is so disrespectful,” Roach said by phone. “Manny is the perfect role model for this fight and Mayweather is not. I told Manny we’ve got to beat him for the whole world. There’s no way we can’t win this fight.”

Dual role

Roach is carrying the dual role of trainer and chief provocateur for Pacquiao, who tends to shy away from making inflammatory comments about fighters he’ll meet in the ring.

Reality television couldn’t begin to even think of the plot twists that will take place between the Hollywood gym, where Pacquiao trains, and The Money Team’s digs in Las Vegas.

Leave it to Roach, widely acknowledged as the best trainer in the sport, to offer up a few tantalizing morsels to keep the hype going.

He doesn’t much care for Mayweather and believes that at age 38 he’s slowing down. He thinks Mayweather might even be lured by the magnitude of the fight into doing things that will get him in trouble.

Question of legs

“Floyd’s legs don’t move like they once did,” Roach told The Associated Press. “He’s very clever but the fight is so big he may feel like he has to take a risk and exchange with us. If he does that, that’s the best thing in the world for Manny in my mind.”

And if the fight comes down to cornermen, Roach believes Mayweather will be in real trouble if he’s listening to his father, Floyd Sr., who took over as his son’s trainer from uncle Roger Mayweather last year.

“Going against Floyd Sr. is a little disappointing,” Roach said. “He just isn’t very good, especially during the fight itself. One of our advantages is having him in the other corner.”

The two fighters will get together next Wednesday for the only time before fight week to promote a bout that really doesn’t need much promoting.

Father’s poem

Expect Floyd Sr. to come up with a poem predicting his son’s success, and expect Roach to elevate the level of trash talk even more.

Big fights are nothing new to either boxer, but already this one is proving different.

The buildup to the actual announcement of the fight created hysteria in boxing circles, and the buzz about the biggest fight in years shows no sign of abating.

To prepare for the frenzy, Roach hired seven guards for his Wild Card gym in Hollywood, where in the past people milled about in the parking lot hoping to get a glimpse of Pacquiao and anyone with even a remote connection to the fighter could usually manage to get inside for workouts.

“With guns,” Roach said, “so people respect them.”

Music video

That’s not the only change in the Pacquiao camp for the fight that will almost surely define his career.

Instead of doing much of his early training in the Philippines, Pacquiao will spend his entire camp in Southern California. He’ll spar less, likely 90 to 95 rounds instead of the usual 150, because Roach wants to keep his legs fresh at age 36.

First, though, he’ll make a music video to go with a new song the erstwhile singer has recorded for his walk into the ring.

“Manny asked if he could do it and I said OK,” Roach said. “I don’t see it as a distraction because his work ethic is so great.”

Roach, who played a big part in getting the fight made by bringing promoter Bob Arum and CBS chair Les Moonves together for talks, said he and Pacquiao has a higher calling than just winning a fight.

“Manny will be performing a public service for boxing when he beats Floyd,” Roach said.

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