Manny Pacquiao - born again in spirit but can the body deliver?

The Hollywood strip mall near Sunset and Vine contains a nail salon, a massage parlour, a Thai takeout joint, an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting place and, for several hours every afternoon in recent weeks, one of the best fighters on the planet.

Manny Pacquiao trained there for the biggest fight of his life, the most anticipated boxing match the sport has seen in years. It will break records for viewers and dollars, and could go a long way to defining the legacies of Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jnr, the brash, undefeated American welterweight who will stand in the opposite corner.

Owing to endless squabbling the megafight has been years in the making. At 36, Pacquiao is an international superstar who has pocketed more than US$330 million in his career and is the most famous person to come from the Philippines, where he's serving his second term in the country's House of Representatives. He's also among very few in the sport who thinks he's actually better positioned to defeat Mayweather, 38, now than he was five years ago.

"Before, I'm always thinking [about] the fight, thinking over and over," Pacquiao said recently. "Now I have peace of mind and relaxing because I know I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. I can do all things through God."

Pacquiao was a different fighter five years ago - younger and quicker with two fewer losses - but those around the compact, mild-mannered pugilist note that he's also a different man.

"Manny lived a funny lifestyle," promoter Bob Arum says. "Even though he was very religious, he gambled, he drank, he ran around with women."