Freddie Roach is a Hall of Fame trainer who for years has gone over in his mind every detail, every form of strategy, every potential surprise and counteraction, every movement that could decide a fight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao is the first megafight for Bob Bennett, the executive director of the Nevada Athletic Commission. Among other things, the commission is in charge of the boxing gloves each fighter will use. Don’t expect to find a horseshoe in them.
Wednesday was the official media day to promote the Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Manny Pacquiao megafight Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden, and yet Mayweather’s comfortable demeanor and candid temperament haven’t wavered much since the much-anticipated bout was announced.
I disagree with the notion that there is no suspense in inevitability, that because Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao didn’t step into a ring and oppose each other years ago means all the tension and excitement from the moment has disappeared. It just made people angry and bitter, is all.
Steve Cyr has been a casino host for 28 years. He has never seen anything like Mayweather-Pacquiao. Ever.
It could be a 12-round slugfest, with Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao trading staggering shots to whip the crowd into a frenzy. It could be one of the most memorable battles in boxing history.
If Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao is indeed the Fight of the Century, it will mean that over the next 85 years, nothing in boxing will approach it in terms of interest, anticipation and how much one is willing pay to split a pay-per-view purchase with one’s chums.
It took this, the megafight of megafights, the one sure to shatter all sorts of financial records at the gate and on your pay-per-view screens, the supposed biggest night in the sport’s history, to confirm what we already knew: It’s not about the fans.
If the gathering at Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s Las Vegas gym Tuesday was expertly organized, and it was, the one that played out for Manny Pacquiao on Wednesday at the Wild Card Gym in Hollywood, Calif., was more controlled chaos. Neither setting, of course, lacked for pointed jabs aimed at the other side.
Tuesday seemed beyond normal for what you might expect, if you believe normal for a boxing media day is David Hasselhoff holding court for some who at least appeared interested in his opinion and Texas Tech football coach Kliff Kingsbury posing for photos inside the gym.
