Manny Pacquiao INQUIRER File Photo
MANILA, Philippines — Manny Pacquiao shrugged off reports that Floyd Mayweather Jr. had knocked out his sparring partner with a body shot.
READ: Mayweather knocks out sparring partner—report
Pacquiao also took a jab at Mayweather and the way the pound-for-pound king’s previous fights had turned out.
“I hope the reports were true. He should be aggressive during our fight so we can make the fans happy. We all knew how he fights. In fact his previous fights lulled me to sleep,” Pacquiao told philboxing.com‘s Aquiles Z. Zonio.
Mayweather, who is mostly at the defensive when he fights, is widely considered as one of the best defensive boxers ever. Pacquiao, on the other hand, is known to use his aggression to his advantage and beats his opponents with his blinding speed and powerful left hand.
Pacquiao’s claims may be an attempt to mess with Mayweather’s head and provoke him to engage in a fight.
The eight-division champion also said that the fans, who had waited for so long for a Mayweather-Pacquiao clash to happen, deserve to be treated to an exciting fight on May 2.
“His previous fights bored me. I hope, this time he would be man enough to take some risks. He should prove to the world that he’s a real and fearless fighter, not a runner,” Pacquiao said.
“This fight should live up to its billing. We owe this to the fans. They should get the kind of entertainment they want,” Pacquiao said.
Pacquiao also said that it’s a “welcome development” if indeed Mayweather was able to deck his spar mate during training.
“That’s what my camp wants – for him to become aggressive inside the ring.”
If Mayweather, though, decides to fight toe-to-toe against Pacquiao, the Fighting Congressman’s childhood friend and assistant trainer Buboy Fernandez said it will spell doom for the undefeated American.
“If that is true, then, the fight is over,” he said.
However, Fernandez doesn’t think Mayweather will take that kind of risk considering he’s “scared of losing.”
Mayweather has a flawless 47-0 record with 26 knockouts but has been hit frequently in his past couple of fights with Argentinian Marcos Maidana, whom he edged twice last year. Their first meeting ended in a majority decision and the second by unanimous decision.