Time to let the hate for Mayweather flow, legend Marvelous Marvin Hagler tells Pacquiao
Middleweight star knows exactly what fighters are going through, having starred in a series of super-fights in the 80s
Hagler, the undisputed middleweight champion for six years and seven months in the 80s, knows a thing or two about this kind of ‘Super Fight’, having taken on all-comers – most famously Roberto Duran, Thomas Hearns and Sugar Ray Leonard - during his reign.
Having watched with frustration, like all boxing fans, as Mayweather ducked Pacquiao over the last few years, he still can’t quite believe it’s going to happen – and nor can he pick a winner.
“It’s a 24 hour job,” he says of the difference between preparing for a super-fight like this and a run-of-the-mill bout. “You have to be prepared physically and mentally.
“You can’t really go in there with any type of anger, but for me every time when I got up on stage I would start to hate the guy – normally it would build up [in the weeks before] and this would be the time to start to build up your hatred towards your opponent – I know that they don’t like each other right now.