Who was cheered, booed during Vegas weigh-in
Floyd Mayweather Jr. at the MGM Grand Arena on Friday, 1 May 2015 for the official weigh in for his fight with Manny Pacquiao. REM ZAMORA
LAS VEGAS—The record crowd of 11,500 made their feelings known on Friday. They love Manny Pacquiao and dislike Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Though both boxers easily made the welterweight limit, Pacquiao coming in at 65 kilograms (145 pounds) and Mayweather 65.7 kg (146 lb) during the official weigh-in for the “Fight of the Century,” the Filipino ring icon won the psychological warfare.
Whenever Pacquiao’s image was flashed on the giant screen above the stage, fans who shelled out $10 each for the official weigh-in applauded. When it was Mayweather’s turn, they booed.
When Pacquiao spoke, the crowd listened. When Mayweather opened his mouth, they booed.
Chants of “Manny, Manny, Manny…” reverberated in the arena, drowning chants of “Money, Money, Money…”
Mayweather wore a stern look throughout, mindful that he was beaten for attention on his home turf, the MGM Grand Garden Arena, which hosted his last 11 fights and 14 overall.
The unbeaten American (47-0) was even seen throwing a sideway glance as Pacquiao (57-5-2), always smiling and exuding confidence, raised both his arms to acknowledge the loud, lively international crowd that included many flag-waving Filipinos.
Was it a portent of things to come?
Guaranteed blockbuster
Renewing their support for the sport, Americans, Filipinos, Hispanics, Europeans and Asians gathered together for the short event meant to further drum up Mayweather-Pacquiao, which, of course, is a guaranteed blockbuster.
Again showing his deep religiosity, Pacquiao wore a white T-shirt that carried the message “Jesus is the name of the Lord” in front and “All glory and honor belongs to God” in the back.
In the stare-down, the 1.74-meter (5.7-foot) Mayweather remained stoic even as a grinning Pacquiao, 5 centimeters (2 inches) shorter, thanked him for making the superfight possible.
As soon as their weights were announced, Pacquiao took a bite of Butterfinger chocolate bar, his new sponsor, and washed it down with water.
Interviewed onstage, Pacquiao said: “The fans deserve this fight. This is a great responsibility for me to give enjoyment to the fans. The fans deserve a good fight. Whether you’re fans of Mayweather or fans of Manny Pacquiao, you deserve a good fight.”
For his part, Mayweather said: “My thing is to focus on what I’ve got to do tomorrow. I’ve dedicated myself to the sport of boxing for over 20 years and I’m ready. I’m ready to fight.”
Second fiddle
Before the real battle for the undisputed world welterweight title erupts, however, Mayweather, who dictated the terms to finally make the fight possible after five years, has to endure playing the role of second fiddle.
With the exception of his interview with ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith two weeks ago, Mayweather has been subdued, completely the opposite of his old self who poked fun at Pacquiao on social media.
Mayweather attributed the change to maturity.
“Just growth, you know, maturing over the years,” he said in an exclusive interview with CNN.
“I’m not far from 40 years old so I’ve been in the sport as a professional for 19 years,” he said.
Pacquiao’s domination even extended to the lobby of the MGM Grand, which dubbed itself as Mayweather’s home, where official fight shirts and other merchandise were being sold. “Pacman” and “MP” shirts enjoyed brisk sales, while those of Mayweather’s “The Best Ever” and “The Money Team” did not do as well.
Color of money
MGM Grand was bathed in green, the color of money. Huge posters of Mayweather, also called Money, adorned its exterior.
Underneath the image of Mayweather raising his hands in triumph were the words “Home of the Champion.”
Seen waving the rosary among a throng of Filipino supporters at the lobby was Pacquiao’s mother, Dionisia, who claims to be her son’s lucky charm.
Also present to provide support were Pacquiao’s wife, Jinkee, and their children.
Boxing greats Mike Tyson and Sugar Ray Leonard were among the multitude, which easily surpassed the attendance in some major fights.
For the first time, MGM Grand charged an entrance fee for the weigh-in. At $10 a pop, the weigh-in collected around $115,000, which would go to charity.
Before Pacquiao made his entrance to the beat of apl.de.ap’s rap music, he and chief trainer Freddie Roach were seen taking selfies with their Galaxy S6, making obvious that Samsung is the newest sponsor of Pacquiao.
Clear winner
Clearly, it was Pacquiao who won the prefight contest.
Pacquiao and Mayweather square off on Saturday (today in Manila) in a fight billed as the richest ever in boxing history.
The fight is expected to earn as much as $400 million, with the fighters getting at least a combined $200 million. With reports from Francis T.J. Ochoa and Mark Giongco
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