All Pacquiao needs to win is to ‘be himself’—Holyfield | Inquirer Sports

All Pacquiao needs to win is to ‘be himself’—Holyfield

By: - Sports Editor / @ftjochoaINQ
/ 05:29 PM November 12, 2011

LAS VEGAS – The hulking figure in white shirt still looked as intimidating as when he terrorized the heavyweight ranks in his prime.

Of all the guests that showed up during Friday’s weigh-in ceremonies for the Manny Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez showdown, Evander Holyfield stood out the most, exchanging handshakes and giving out interviews at the floor of the MGM Grand’s Garden Arena.

“I’ve always been a fan of Manny Pacquiao,” Holyfield told former PBA courtside reporter Jannelle So, who currently hosts Kababayan LA television show in Los Angeles, during a brief interview after the weigh-in.

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Holyfield did not give a full analysis of the fight, but told So that all Pacquiao needed to do to win would be to “be himself.”

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A HEAVYWEIGHT DROPS BY. Former world heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield talks to former PBA courtside reporter and current Los Angeles TV host Jannelle So during the weigh-in of Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao and Mexico's Juan Manuel Marquez Friday night, Nov. 11, 2011 for their fight on Saturday, Nov. 12, 2011 (Sunday in Manila). FRANCIS T.J. OCHOA/Inquirer

As for Marquez?

“He has to keep the faith,” said the 49-year-old Holyfield, who is also remembered as the boxer whose ear Mike Tyson bit off during their heavyweight match on June 29, 1997, a date remembered as one of the most bizarre bouts in boxing history.

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Holyfield has piled a record of 44-10-2 with 29 knockouts. He last fought on July 5 this year, scoring a technical knockout of Danish Brian Nielsen.

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Holyfield said he believed the fight between Pacquiao and undefeated Floyd Mayweather Jr. would happen, even if negotiations kept collapsing due to several demands from the American superstar’s camp.

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Aside from the blood testing protocols Mayweather wants to dictate for the predicted mega-fight, the split of boxing revenues and guaranteed purse has started to become a problem.

“It will happen because both fighter deserve that kind of a payday,” he told So.

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Kababayan LA is a talk show that caters to the Filipino community and airs on Southern California’s channel 18. It has been running for six years with So as its host from the start.

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TAGS: Boxing, Evander Holyfield, Juan Manuel Marquez, Manny Pacquiao, Sports

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