Underdog Manny Pacquiao firmly focused for 'fight of the century'
Filipino star will put aside distractions as he finds himself in the unfamiliar position of not being favourite for showdown with Floyd Mayweather
Manny Pacquiao may be a hero in his native Philippines but even his fans and associates admit he will be the underdog in his bout against Floyd Mayweather in the “fight of the century”.
Betting odds in Las Vegas, where the fight will be held on May 2, favour the 38-year-old American, who has never lost in 47 fights. The 36-year-old Pacquiao has 57 victories and five defeats – including two suffered as recently as 2012.
The fight, years in the making, will finally answer the question as to which of the two is the best pound-for-pound fighter of their generation. “What the world has been waiting for has arrived,” American Mayweather said. “Mayweather v Pacquiao on May 2, this year is a done deal.”
Manny [Pacquiao] is going to try to do what 47 before him failed to do, but he won’t be successful. He will be number 48
Pacquiao will carry the hopes of a nation, but knows he has to be laser-like in his focus.
“Manny likes to be in the underdog position,” said sports writer Winchell Campos, who is working on a biography of the fighter. “He thrives on that kind of pressure. It gives extra motivation for him.”
Pacquiao has made a fortune as a commercial pitchman, dabbled in television, movies and music, and got elected to Congress in 2010. Last year, he even made his debut as player-coach of a newly-created professional basketball team. All of that, however, will have to be put aside for the Mayweather fight.
“Mayweather will be the favoured one [in Las Vegas],” said Pacquiao’s business manager Eric Pineda, who has labelled the bout the Philippine boxer’s “toughest fight”.
“But he has a big chance. Every time he fights, everything takes a back seat to training,” he said, noting that Pacquiao will leave in March to train in the United States, away from the distractions in the Philippines.