FOR many the Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao mega-fight has come five years too late. But Floyd Mayweather insists it will be worth the wait. “The timing for this fight is right. The fight is about legacy, fans and family,” he said. “Everything in life is about timing. I have no regrets that this fight didn’t take place five years ago. I didn’t think it was that big then, but it continued to get bigger and bigger. Not just in boxing, but outside of the sport. Pacquiao has continued to grow outside of the sport. We didn’t need to rush anything.
“This was a difficult fight to make happen, but we made it happen. This fight is one of the biggest ever in boxing.
“I’ve done record breaking numbers before and it looks like we’re going to do it again.”
It would be hard for any fight to live up to this level of intense anticipation. But Floyd countered, “I can’t say that this match-up is about hype. This is real life. This is two future Hall of Famers in a mega-fight.”
“This is going to be an exciting fight. Our styles are totally different. He is very, very reckless. Every move I make is calculated. I’m always five to 10 steps ahead of my opponent,” he continued. “Pacquiao is strong and solid but I don’t know if he can make adjustments like I can. I feel tremendous.”
After meeting Pacquiao himself, Mayweather is sure he has the advantage in size as well as style. “I walk around at 150-152 pounds to weigh 147 pounds. Other boxers weigh around 160-170 before coming down,” he said but added, “I don’t think Pacquiao expected me to look as strong or big when we faced off.”
“Anyone can get hit with a great shot, but I can make more adjustments and Manny can’t,” he concluded.
“We’ll see what happens when the fight starts. But when all is said and done I’m going to be the winner.”
