Muhammad Ali. AFP FILE PHOTO
Boxing’s all-time great Muhammad Ali is setting the record straight: he hasn’t picked Manny Pacquiao nor Floyd Mayweather Jr. to win in their upcoming megabout.
What he did was wish the two fighters good luck who will face each other on May 2 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
In a report from ESPN.com, Ali family spokesman Bob Gunnell clarified that Ali is, so far, rooting on neutral grounds.
“It was reported that Muhammad Ali picked a favorite in the upcoming Mayweather-Pacquiao fight on May 2. Muhammad Ali would like to wish both Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao well in their upcoming fight,” Ali family spokesman Gunnell said in a statement sent to ESPN.com.
TMZ previously reported that Ali’s daughter Rasheda saying “my Dad is Team Pacquiao all the way!”
Media outlets, including INQUIRER.net, picked up the quote directly from the mouth of one of the greatest heavyweights, not his daughter, who claimed was misquoted.
READ: Muhammad Ali is ‘Team Pacquiao all the way’
“Muhammad never offered to anyone his prediction, and information that was published earlier this week and picked up by other media is either a misquote or someone else’s personal opinion. The stories saying that Muhammad Ali has chosen a favorite in the fight are false,” Gunnell said.
On Wednesday (Manila time), Ali took to Twitter wishing Money and Pacman the best of luck in their welterweight unification fight.
He added the hashtag #Alitweet which meant that Ali himself said the quote.
“Looking forward to Floyd Mayweather versus Manny Pacquiao & wishing both the best of luck. Rumble, young men, rumble!” Ali wrote on Twitter.
For more updates on Pacquiao-Mayweather “Fight of the Century,” visit The Pacquiao Files.