Julio Cesar Chavez (left) leaving the Mandalay Bay shortly after Manny Pacquiao’s Fan Rally. Photo by Mark Giongco
LAS VEGAS — Once Mexico’s public enemy No. 1 in boxing, Manny Pacquiao now heads into the biggest fight of his life with the approval of arguably the greatest among the Mexican ring legends.
Julio Cesar Chavez, who retired having won 107 of his fights and only lost six times, is on Pacquiao’s side when the Filipino welterweight champion goes up against the favored Floyd Mayweather Jr. on Saturday to unite the world championship at the MGM Grand Garden Arena here.
“Pacquiao [will win by] knockout,” said Chavez, who attended the Fighter of the Decade’s Fan Rally event at the Mandalay Bay convention center Tuesday.
BACKSTORY: Pacquiao 100 percent sure of beating Mayweather
The 52-year-old Chavez, though, did not elaborate on why he thought Pacquiao would win and stop Mayweather’s 47-fight win streak. The Filipino drew the Mexicans’ ire after ending the reign of several of their heroes, including Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales. Pacquiao thus earned the moniker “Mexicutioner.”
Like Chavez, Morales has also expressed his support for Pacquiao. Morales and Pacquiao fought three times with the Pacman losing their first fight and winning their last two meetings in 2006.
Barrera, who also shared an epic trilogy with Morales, on the other hand, had predicted a Mayweather victory on Saturday. Barrera will forever be remembered by Filipinos for his fight with Pacquiao in 2003 in a bout that started Pacquiao’s rise to international boxingstardom.
Pacquiao’s nemesis Juan Manuel Marquez, whom he faced four times, had said Mayweather would win if the megafight goes the distance.
READ: Marquez says Pacquiao must knock Mayweather out to win