Mayweather: I know all of Manny’s secrets
WBC/WBA welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. (C) is escorted by members of his security team and advisor Sam Watson (R) as Mayweather arrives at the Mayweather Boxing Club to work out on April 14, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Mayweather will face WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao in a unification bout on May 2, 2015 in Las Vegas. Ethan Miller/Getty Images/AFP
LAS VEGAS—Whatever Manny Pacquiao does, Floyd Mayweather Jr. knows.
Whatever the Filipino champion will do in the ring, the unbeaten American will have an answer.
This is the message a subdued but confident Mayweather wants to send to Pacquiao for their May 2 fight for pride, legacy and money at MGM Grand Garden Arena here.
“He wears the lifts in the shoes. I know all the secrets he does,” Mayweather claimed on Tuesday in a news conference held in a white tent fronting the gym bearing his name in this glitzy city’s Chinatown district.
If he truly knows Pacquiao’s secrets, Mayweather may just pull off a surprise by becoming offensive-driven, at least in the early stages, so as to disrupt the plan of the eight-division world champion to turn on the heat as soon as the bell rings.
As to their welterweight title unification bout, Mayweather, wearing a black T-shirt designed with the Philippine colors and his likeness at the center, said he’d be able to adjust to whatever fighting style Pacquiao chose.
Not worried
“I’m able to make adjustments,” said Mayweather, who expressed doubts whether his pound-for-pound rival could do the same in their matchup that has turned into a global social event.
Though their 12-round megabuck bout is regarded as the grandest fight ever, Mayweather said he’s treating it like any other of his 47 previous fights and he’s not worried about spoiling his 47-0 record.
The only difference is he’s putting in extra work, as he’ll be facing a formidable, worthy adversary in Pacquiao this time.
“Our styles are totally different. I fight with smarts. Every move is calculated. Every move is thought of. I’m always 5 to 10 steps ahead of my opponent,” he boasted.
With a sandstorm threatening to hit the area, Mayweather, escorted by tall, burly bodyguards, proceeded to the well-lit, clean gym where television crews had been waiting.
Mayweather made the rounds of the lower ring, answering questions from the different media outfits, including the Philippines’ two major networks.
Future Hall of Famers
According to Mayweather, the expensive $99.95 pay-per-view buy rate is justified considering that people will be witnessing two future Hall of Famers battle each other in a megafight destined to shatter all revenue records, not only in boxing, but in combat sports.
“He’s a future Hall of Famer. I am a future Hall of Famer and we are meeting at the pinnacle of our careers,” Mayweather said.
“From the matchup it seems like an exciting fight. When I mentally picture the fight, to me it looks like it’s going to be a very exciting fight,” said Mayweather, who later allowed reporters to watch him work out.
Mayweather hit the speed bags, threw body shots to a sparring partner wearing protective armor, banged the bodybag and did light exercises.
Whether the fight will live up to its hype largely depends on the manner Mayweather will respond to Pacquiao’s incessant attacks.
Aware of the immense publicity and buzz their bout has generated, Mayweather said that at the end of the day, it will still be Pacquiao and he who’ll battle each other in the ring.
Mayweather also discussed how his training is progressing and disclosed that the thrill of boxing is gone and that at this point in his career, it just feels like a job.
‘Over all that stuff’
“No. I don’t enjoy it like I once did,” Mayweather said.
“It is at a point where it is business. It is my job. I go to the gym. I train. I know what I have to do,” he said.
“There was a time when it was fun but I am at a point now where I am really over all of that stuff,” he added.
But he said he was trying to rekindle his passion for the sport by using some different training methods, like chopping wood and swimming laps.
“I can have a good day in the gym and the sparring partners can have a good day on me. That don’t count. It counts under the lights when it is for all the marbles,” he said.
There was no sign on Tuesday of the controversy that arose prior to his 2014 Marcos Maidana fight.
‘Dog house rules’
In September, Mayweather was ordered to appear before the Nevada State Athletic Commission after being accused of forcing fighters at his gym to allegedly endure 31-minute training rounds without a break.
Mayweather testified before the commission that the marathon sparring sessions were staged in order to boost pay-per-view sales for his personal cable TV show to promote his next fight.
In the episode Mayweather referred to his gym as the “dog house,” adding “guys fight to the death. It is not right but it is dog house rules.”
Mayweather is now being sued by two of the fighters in question, 18-year-old Shariff Rahaman and his brother, Hasim, 23, who allege battery, tortious assault, false imprisonment and negligent hiring and training.
Richest fight
Still the “dog house” featured a carnival-like atmosphere that will continue to follow this megatitle fight until May 2.
The welterweight unification fight, which has been the subject of on-off negotiations for six years, will not only be the richest fight but it will also go a long way toward determining who is the greatest fighter of the era.
The fight is expected to shatter records for total revenue, with Mayweather earning about $120 million, while Pacquiao could receive about $80 million.
‘Reckless fighter’
Mayweather said he had seen some flaws in the boxing style of Pacquiao.
He described the 36-year-old Pacquiao (57-5-2, 38 KOs) as a “reckless fighter” who takes too many chances, referring to Juan Manuel Marquez’s knockout of Pacman in December 2012.
“I could have had the same type of career but my career wouldn’t have lasted this long,” Mayweather said.
Mayweather is in the fifth fight of a six-fight contract with Showtime, and he said this year would be his last on the job.
“My last fight is in September,” he said.–With a report from AFP
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For more updates on Pacquiao-Mayweather “Fight of the Century,” visit The Pacquiao Files.
