Watch : Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather final press conference

For just the second time after their fight was announced, Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather went face-to-face in a press conference ahead of their May 2 bout. The two fighters showed mutual respect during the event, perhaps saving all their animosity for when they climb on top of the ring. It was perhaps fitting the final press conference ahead of the long-awaited fight between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao took place in the Kà theater, home to Cirque du Soleil’s longtime MGM Grand residency, considering the three-ring quality of the build-up to what’s certain to be the richest fight in the history of boxing.

Yet Wednesday’s polite exchange of remarks between the fighters belied the promotion’s circus-like atmosphere and proved typical of what’s by and large the least interesting of fight week’s well-worn rituals, the stations of the cross that mark time until the fighters climb through the ropes on Saturday night – save for one memorable moment when longtime Pacquiao promoter and legendary shade-thrower Bob Arum steered the proceedings into a proxy dick-measuring contest for network superiority.

Pacquiao was Pacquiao, humble and genial and God-fearing as ever. Mayweather was the Mayweather that’s become familiar throughout the promotion – let’s call it Floyd 3.0 – a self-assured all-time great who’s all but sworn off his trademark slander in an apparent effort to exit the sport gracefully. Anyone hoping for fireworks or even the slightest trace of ill will from Saturday’s main players was bound to be disappointed.



The event was closed to the public – leaving several hundred writers and photographers to fill out the lower bowl of the 1,950-seat theater – though several Mayweather congregants inevitably negotiated their way into the proceedings and made themselves heard.

Pacquiao’s five-minute remarks were longer than he normally speaks at these types of things. He thanked the sponsors, the media, the fans.

“It’s going to be a good fight,” said the Filipino congressman, dressed in a conservative navy blue suit jacket with no tie. “There’s a lot of questions in your minds that only God can answer for us on Saturday. I just want to mention though that everything that I have accomplished, it is God who gave me the strength. I just want to be an example and an inspiration to everybody how my life, before I became a boxer, I used to sleep in the street, starving, hungry, and now I can’t imagine the Lord raised me into this position with blessings I could never imagine. That the boy who doesn’t have food and is sleeping in the street can be raised to this level of life.”

He continued.

“Nothing personal. He’s going to do his best, I’m going to do my best on Saturday to put our name in boxing history. But the most important thing, I’m hoping that after the fight, we can have a conversation with Floyd about sharing my faith in God. We can inspire more people, especially those children who are looking to us and supporting us.”

Mayweather, dressed in head to toe in red, white and black The Money Team apparel (topped by leather baseball hat that retails for $88 in the MGM lobby), spoke for half as long and said maybe a quarter as much. He thanked the sponsors, the media, the fans. The muted, measured tones that have become his calling card over the past 10 weeks bore little resemblance to the insufferable trash talker who incinerated hundred-dollar bills in nightclubs, tweeted photos of his six-figure betting slips and collected Maybachs like they were Silly Bandz.

Notably, he thanked longtime adversaries Arum and Freddie Roach – a chief instigator throughout the promotion who’s repeatedly invoked Mayweather’s domestic-violence record – underscoring the love-thy-enemies underpinnings of his latest iteration.

“It’s time to fight now,” Mayweather said. “You guys came out here to see excitement, you guys came out here to see a great event, and I think that’s what both competitors bring to the table: excitement.

“The biggest fight in boxing history.”

It’s not the final time the fighters will meet before Saturday’s career-defining showdown. That will be Friday’s weigh-in at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, for which the promoters have taken the unprecedented step of charging $10 admission – though tickets on the secondary market were ranging from $136 to $446 on Wednesday afternoon.

So whatever theater remains in store was put on hold as Mayweather and Pacquiao – the two finest fighters of their generation – met downstage center and posed for photographs, then faced inward for a 13-second staredown that saw Pacquiao break into a wry grin midway through. As he does.

All it seems that’s left is the fight, which – though a tantalizing three days away after more than half a decade in the making – can’t arrive soon enough.

Pacquiao vs. Mayweather 2015 odds: Floyd the favorite, fight expected to go distance

Manny Pacquiao vs Floyd Mayweather is now just four days away. The long-awaited showdown in Las Vegas is bringing in record amounts of money, and the betting odds for the big fight are staying fairly steady for the time being. As of Monday, Mayweather remains favored to win the fight and stay undefeated.

Generally speaking, Mayweather is a much bigger favorite for his fights than he is here. He was a -800 favorite last September for his rematch with Marcos Maidana, four months after their first fight, where Floyd was a -1000 favorite. For those fights, he was seen as four to five times more likely to win than he is against Pacquiao (57-5-2, 38 KO).

Mayweather (47-0, 26 KO) is listed between -215 and -300 on some major sportsbooks, having opened at -285. The American star has rarely even been seriously challenged over his 18 and a half year pro career, with but a handful of fights that have even been particularly competitive.

Manny opened as the underdog at +225, and is now available between +175 and +220. This is the first time Pacquiao has been the underdog in a fight since his bout with Oscar De La Hoya in December 2008, which turned out to be a Pacquiao romp.

Bovada currently has the fight listed at -300 to go the distance, with +230 odds that it will end before the final bell of the 12th round. This seems a fairly safe bet, considering the fighters' recent histories. Mayweather has only gone under 12 rounds twice in the last decade. In 2007, he stopped Ricky Hatton in the 10th round. In 2011, he beat Victor Ortiz with the infamous "sucker punch" in round four.

As with most truly major sporting events, there are all kinds of goofy prop bets you can make, too. Who will throw the first punch? Mayweather is at -125, Pacquiao at -105. Which hand will it be? -130 for left, EVEN odds for right. You can get 65/1 odds on there being five or more knockdowns in the fight.

And despite his vaunted power, Pacquiao has no stoppage wins since 2009, going 7-2 over that time. The only fight that went less than 12 was a sixth-round knockout loss to Juan Manuel Marquez in 2012, a fight that was aggressive on both sides, and saw Pacquiao walk himself into a crushing, perfectly timed right hand.

Floyd Mayweather Admits He Does Not Enjoy Boxing Anymore

Mayweather Jr admitted that he does not enjoy the sport of boxing anymore like he did in the past. The undefeated American made the revelation during the open media workout in preparation for the big bout against Manny Pacquiao in May in Las Vegas. “I don't enjoy it like I once did. It is at a point where it is business," Mayweather said via sportal.com during the open media workout."It is my job. I go to the gym. I train. I know what I have to do. There was a time when it was fun but I am at a point now where I am really over all of that stuff." Mayweather’s admission comes a bit of a surprise weeks before the $300 million showdown against Pacquiao, which is considered one of the best fights to be made in the sport.

Mayweather will earn $180 million for the fight and the boxer nicknamed “Money” will assuredly enjoy the biggest payday of his colourful career. Pacquiao will also earn big and reportedly will get more than $100 million as well. During the open media workout, Mayweather also admitted that this is an important fight for his career but stated that it won’t define his legacy saying that his previous 47 wins is as important. He also promised that his battle against Pacquiao will be enjoyed by boxing fans. “Our names are way bigger than five years ago. You have the two best in the world fighting each other, at the pinnacle of their careers. And our styles should work. It'll be exciting,” Mayweather added. Meanwhile, at the Pacquiao training camp, the Filipino stated that he’s ready to go to battle against Mayweather with less than two weeks before the big bout. In various interviews, Pacquiao said that he is happy with how they are working in the training camp mentioning his trainer Freddie Roach, assistant trainer Buboy Fernandez and conditioning coach Justin Fortune as the key guys for a successful camp. The Mayweather-Pacquiao bout will be held on May 2, 2015 at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Two Blueprints for beating Pacquiao - Mayweather

I think that fight boosts the idea of Mayweather that he can stop Pacquiao. Going toe to toe against Pacquiao just doesn’t make sense and is a certain way for Mayweather to get knocked down. Also the idea of Mayweather winning on points just doesn’t run very well to his mind even if he can defend very well, the high volume of unpredictable punches that Pacquiao usually unleashes in fights makes this scenario to become very, very distant and is another way for Floyd to lose. For Mayweather to win on May 2nd, he must stop Pacquiao, period. Unless the judges favor Mayweather, I don’t see him winning this fight on points, and I think Mayweather knows well this too. Pacquiao will be just too much to keep up with. There is no other way but to stop Pacquiao sooner or later. And this will be the best statement for the number 1 pound for pound king of boxing. Otherwise I really see big trouble coming for Mayweather. His record 47-0 will be put on real test.

The blueprint in beating Manny Pacquiao (57-5-2) seems to be out there available in his 5 defeats in the past. The one blueprint that seems to stand out of them more is also his most recent one: it is in the 4th fight against Juan Manuel Marquez in 2012. In that fight an impatient and reckless Pacquiao got knocked out and stopped in the 6th round by Marquez. I believe this is the general idea that runs into Floyd Mayweather Jr’s mind and of course to his training team. I believe this is also the main focus of his training, and that’s why he has gone into all these different types of training: to make him become stronger. Why else would he hire Pacquiao’s former strength and conditioning coach Alex Ariza and spend so much time in strength training? I think the reason is obvious. And, yes, Ariza might know a few things about Pacquiao, but the real reason is this: Strength. Feeling the hatred that Pacquiao appears to have about him, makes Mayweather to expect a full attack from round 1. Mayweather also expects Pacquiao at some point in the match to become impatient and reckless just like he did against Marquez. Pacquiao dropping his defenses while fighting has happened a lot of times but not all his opponents could capitalize on that. Mayweather believes he has the necessary skills to do it. He may also use as an advantage his bigger size even though that bigger doesn’t mean stronger. There is also another blueprint that Mayweather may put in use and it comes not by the defeats of Pacquiao but by the victories of Mayweather. Mayweather has another good example that might help him with this idea and it comes from his fight against Ricky Hatton in 2007. While Ricky Hatton obviously is not Pacquiao still the way he started that fight against Mayweather and the way he fought was somewhat similar with Pacman’s style. Hatton created problems in the early rounds and made Mayweather very uncomfortable but began to lose strength and stamina as the rounds passed and when finally he dropped his defenses for a desperate attack on round 10 he got easily knocked down and lost the fight.

Sylvester Stallone visits Manny Pacquiao at Wild Card

After going against Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao in his fight with an American boxer in November last year, Sylvester Stallone has learned his lesson and is now rooting for the Filipino boxing icon. Best remembered for his mega-hit “Rocky” series, Stallone visited Pacquiao during his training at Wild Card Gym on Saturday afternoon (Sunday in Manila). e man who played the ultimate boxing underdog in the movies stopped by to visit a man looking to beat the odds on May 2. Sylvester Stallone, who brought boxing to its cinematic height through the Rocky films, stopped by to visit Manny Pacquiao at the Wild Card Gym as he trains for his fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. Stallone watched as Pacquiao punched the mitts with trainer Freddie Roach, and even got around the rumored "No Selfie" rule with the 8-division boxing champion.

Relive the moment in these photos by Top Rank's Chris Farina. Still fit and sprightly at 68 years old, Stallone was accorded the privilege of watching Pacquiao spar for 12 rounds against two partners. He left convinced that Pacquiao deserved his support. Pacquiao has been tagged the underdog in his much-awaited collision with Floyd Mayweather Jr. on May 2 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Though he liked Pacquiao as a ring warrior, Stallone threw his support behind the unheralded Chris Algieri in their showdown in Macau last year. As it turned out, however, Algieri proved to be no match for Pacquiao, who sent the New Yorker down to the canvas six times en route to a lopsided unanimous decision. On his way out of the Wild Card parking lot, Stallone, driving his Mercedes Benz, stopped briefly, rolled down the car windows, and obliged for a quick chat with Philippine journalists. Asked about how Pacquiao fared (in sparring), Stallone replied: “He’s the best, he’s the best.” On whether Pacquiao could beat Mayweather, Stallone muttered, “Of course, of course.” Then Stallone, also noted for his “Rambo” series, stepped on the gas and left. Stallone thus joined the celebrities who have paid Pacquiao a visit in the course of his preparation for the fight with Mayweather. Actors Mark Wahlberg, Liam Neeson, Robert Duvall, NBA great Karl Malone and UFC superstar Ronda Rousey earlier paid homage to Pacquiao.

LIVESTREAM: Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao's media workout

Watch Live! Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao from Wild Card Gym in Hollywood as he opens up training camp to media members around the world. It all leads up to his mega-fight against Floyd Mayweather Saturday., May 2 live on pay-per-view. The Filipino Champ ring icon will host his lone media workout at the famed Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles, California.

WATCH: Jimmy Kimmel sings Pacman's entrance song for Mayweather fight

Manny Pacquiao took time to record an entrance song for the May 2 event in Las Vegas. The music video was released a few days earlier and immediately went viral. Talk show host Jimmy Kimmel, who has welcomed Pacquiao several times on his program, certainly took notice. But rather than just playing the video, Kimmel took things to the next round: taking over singing duties of the song in Tagalog.

It isn't everyday that Jimmy Kimmel sings in Filipino, but he did just that when he performed boxing champ Manny Pacquiao’s song “Lalaban Ako Para sa Pilipino" (I Am Going to Fight for Filipinos) on his show Jimmy Kimmel Live in a video posted on April 15.
 

"To inspire himself, to get himself fired up for the fight, Pacquiao just released his own walkout song," Jimmy said before showing the music video. Jimmy then performed the song, with the audience members actively waving along to the music. He joked that he would want to submit this performance for consideration in next year's Grammy Awards. Manny has appeared on Jimmy's show before. Manny is currently training for his fight with Floyd Mayweather scheduled this May.

Referee for Floyd Mayweather vs Manny Pacquiao fight to earn £6.8k

Floyd Mayweather jr. and Manny Pacquiao expected to earn £82 million and £54.5 million respectively with Kenny Bayless and Tomny Weeks favourites to referee. The referee for the Floyd Mayweather Jr megafight with Manny Pacquiao, which is expected to gross $400 million (£273 million) will earn $10,000 (£6,800) for handling the contest. Mayweather and Pacquiao are expected to earn £82 million and £54.5 million respectively.

Kenny Bayless and Tony Weeks have emerged as the frontrunners from six possible referees. It will be the most important fight in the career of ‘the third man in the ring’ with the Nevada State Athletic Commission expected to name the official in charge, and the three judges sitting ringside, in the coming week. Apart from Bayless and Weeks, Robert Byrd, Jay Nady, Russel Mora and Vic Drakulich are also in the running to get the assignment. In Mayweather's last ten fights at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, Bayless has refereed four of them and six of Pacquiao's last ten fights in Nevada.

The Nevada State Athletic Commission will want a referee whose style fits with both fighters. Pacquiao likes a free-flowing, open fight; Mayweather does not mind being in the centre of the ring, or on the ropes, clinching. Freddie Roach, trainer of Manny Pacquiao, has voiced his concerns over who will get the assignment to referee on May 2. “I know all of the referees, I know the good ones, I know the great ones,” Roach said recently. “I think they all respect me and Manny enough to give us a fair fight. That’s all I’m asking for. Whoever refs the fight, all I’m asking is please, give us a fair fight, and let the best man win, and I think they’ll do that.”


The greatest refereeing controversies in previous Mayweather fights were officiated by Joe Cortez, who retired in 2012. Cortez warned in a recent ESPN podcast that the referee must be at their best because the world will be watching their every move.

"No room for error," said Cortez. "Any referee or judge who is on the wrong side of this fight will be criticized. It could be the end of the official's career. Honestly, that could be it."

Referees for Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao's last ten fights in Las Vegas:

Floyd Mayweather Jr:

Opponent Referee

Marcos Maidana - Kenny Bayless

Marcos Maidana - Tony Weeks

Saul Alvarez - Bayless

Robert Guerrerro - Robert Byrd

Miguel Cotto - Weeks

Victor Ortiz - Joe Cortez

Shane Mosley - Bayless

Juan Manuel Marquez - Weeks

Ricky Hatton - Cortez

Oscar De La Hoya - Bayless

Manny (PACMAN) Pacquiao:

Opponent - Referee

Timothy Bradley - Kenny Bayless

Juan Manuel Marquez - Bayless

Timothy Bradley - Robert Byrd

Juan Manuel Marquez - Tony weeks

Shane Mosley - Bayless

Miguel Cotto - Bayless

Ricky Hatton - Bayless

Oscar De La Hoya - Weeks

David Diaz - Vic Drakulich

Juan Manuel Marquez Bayless

WATCH: Pacquiao sings walkout song for fight vs. Mayweather

The boxer just dropped his music video for his new song "Lalaban Ako Para Sa Filipino" which he recorded specifically for his walkout music for the Floyd Mayweather fight. The video combines footage from his earlier fights and his training plus shots of cheering supporters in his native Phillipines.

And of course there's the Pac-Man, who fancies himself a musician, standing before a microphone belting out the lyrics. It roughly translates to "I Fight for the Filipino People"  and the video is essentially a touching tribute to the people of his home country. The video has everything from dramatic montages of children street fires, stray pigs and of course, all the Manny training footage you could want! And it's Awesome Because Manny directed the whole thing.

"Lalaban Ako Para Sa Filipino" OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO!
Posted by Manny Pacquiao on Sunday, April 12, 2015

He won't survive against shark-like Pacquiao - Freddie Roach

Floyd Mayweather's latest video doing drills in a swimming pool is an indication of him knowing that Manny Pacquiao will take him into deep water on May 2 (May 3 PHL time), according to Freddie Roach. "Sounds like we should start calling him Floyd “Flipper” Mayweather," said Pacquiao's Hall of Fame trainer.

“Team Mayweather would be wise to add a lifeguard to their corner on fight night because Manny is taking ‘Mr. 47 and 1’ into deep water." Pacquiao's former conditioning coach Alex Ariza was also seen in Mayweather's pool training session, which the fighter posted on social media. But according to Roach, no amount of training will save the unbeaten pound-for-pound king from his top pupil when they finally meet inside the ring. "Swimming lessons or whatever he thinks he is doing will not help him survive the shark-infested waters he will be entering on May 2."

WATCH: Official Promo Video and Poster for Pacquiao vs Mayweather

Top Rank Boxing has released the official promo video for the much anticipated Mayweather-Pacquiao fight on May 2, at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas live on pay-per-view. Both parties have stepped up their preparations and trainings in the recent weeks as heat intensifies nearer the much-awaited showdown.

“This is what you are waiting for since five years ago,” said Manny Pacquiao, during the official announcement of their fight. “The fight is on and we’re very excited we will do our best on May 2 to make you happy.” Pacquiao, who has held world titles in eight different weight divisions, said in an interview with a group of reporters that he was not as concerned about this upcoming fight with Mayweather as compared to his previous fights with Antonio Margarito, Miguel Cotto and Oscar De La Hoya. “(Mayweather) had a better chance of winning five years ago,” said Pacquiao’s trainer, Freddie Roach. “He has slowed down. I think Manny knows how to beat him.” “For me to be in the biggest fight in boxing history … I kept my fingers crossed and here we are today,” said Mayweather. The $300million mega-fight will take place in Last Vegas on May 2. Here is the official promo video for Mayweather vs Pacquiao:

Million Dollar Championship Belt For Fight Of The Century Revealed

With all the talk in the past year about Pacquiao and Mayweather, we’re finally getting closer to fight night. This highly anticipated match up is said to be the most expensive fight in history. As we get closer to witnessing history on May 2nd the World Boxing Council revealed some very exiting news for boxing fans and sports enthusiasts. The WBC has decided to create a brand new championship belt for the winner. The president of the WBC and his marketing team were urging fans to vote on two different designs for their belt. The two belts were made of different themes and colours. One WBC belt was designed with an “Onyx” theme while the other belt was an “emerald” theme. Both belts were said to be worth nearly $1 million dollars as each belt was forged of fine leather and rare materials. This treasured belt is an added bonus to the winner of the fight which Mayweather is expected to take home $180 million and Pacquiao expected to receive $120 million. With much at stake for both contenders, the president of the WBC thought it was appropriate to award the winner of the match with a new memorable and ornamented belt. Being that both contenders come from a very extensive background in boxing, this fight is a historical moment as Pacquiao and Mayweather are possibly the best fighters of all time to have come this far in their careers.

“It came in a good moment and it will be an emotive event. Both are obviously putting their legacy at stake, to prove who is the best, satisfying an enormous created expectance. They are also competing to be considered one of the best 10 fighters in the entire boxing history.” -WBC president Mauiricio Sulaiman. As a large number of votes came in to the WBC website, a brand new title was chosen to represent the World Champion and the World Boxing Council. With 53% of the votes, the emerald designed belt was chosen to represent the champion on May 2nd at the MGM Grand Arena. The belt will showcase their own faces on gold badges along with encrusted emeralds embellishing the inner core of the belts design. The WBC announced the results of the votes going on to say “After an intense voting week, fans have ruled that the Winner of MEGA FIGHT between Mayweather Vs. Pacquiao, will triumphantly hold aloft…the Emerald belt! This exquisite masterpiece is especially designed by the World Boxing Council, for a unique bout that is already gracing the pages of Boxing History. In order to appropriately recognise the Winner of this titanic and epic event on May 2nd, emeralds have triumphed.” The WBC was very grateful that they received a large array of fans that participated on their website to cast their vote. With much at stake for this fight, we still have to wait until May 2nd to see who will be crowned victor and take home the large crash price along with the new WBC championship belt. Mayweather and Pacquiao will not only be fighting for crown jewels and a big pot of money but to take home the biggest award of all, The World Champion and Boxing Legend.

Tension brewing around Pacquiao-Mayweather Jr. mega-fight

Tensions appeared to be rising around the long awaited welterweight world title fight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather jr, with the fighters’ camps reportedly at odds over a proposed doping penalty. Pacquiao adviser Michael Koncz told the Los Angeles Times on Thursday that he was “a little puzzled and dismayed” that Mayweather wouldn’t agree to the $5 million penalty Pacquiao had proposed should either fighter test positive for a banned drug. Mayweather Promotions chief executive Leonard Ellerbe, however, told the newspaper that the drug testing protocol for the May 2 fight in Las Vegas had been “rigorously negotiated” by Pacquiao promoters Top Rank. In comments to ESPN.com, Ellerbe called Koncz an “idiot.” “If this moron didn’t convey his fighter’s wishes when the negotiation was going on that’s their problem,” Ellerbe said.

 
“This is a lame-ass attempt to generate publicity.” Drug testing was an issue in attempts to put a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight together in late 2009 and early 2010. Mayweather wanted random Olympic-style blood and urine testing, but Pacquiao objected to some of the protocols and the deal disintegrated. Mayweather later accused the Filipino ring icon of using performance-enhancing drugs, a charge which Pacquiao denied. Pacquiao sued Mayweather over the accusation and the two settled out of court. Drug-testing differences have been just part of the long and winding road to the May 2 match-up between the two fighters widely considered the best pound-for-pound fighters of their generation. The bout has required rival telecasters Showtime and HBO to work together to produce a fight considered a lock to break all records for pay-per-view viewers and revenue. Pacquiao, a two-term Congressman from Sarangani province in the Philippines, is 57-5 with two drawn and 38 knockouts while Mayweather is 47-0 with 26 knockouts. Last week, the US Anti-Doping Agency said both fighters had agreed to undergo Olympic-style random drug testing prior to the bout. Mayweather has submitted to USADA testing for all of his bouts since 2010. Both fighters must provide USADA with their whereabouts and make themselves available for blood and urine tests for drugs including human growth hormone (HGH) and the blood-boosting erythropoietin (EPO). Pacquiao first suggested the reciprocal fine for a failed drug test as extra insurance that a doping issue wouldn’t scupper the fight that fans worldwide have clamored for. But Ellerbe charged the arrangement was an attempt to “put a $5 million price tag if Manny tested positive.” “It will cost Manny a lot more than some $5 million if he comes up positive,” Ellerbe said.

Pacquiao, Mayweather Hype Fight

The scene was something millions of sports fans thought would never happen: Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao, the two best fighters in the world and boxing's two biggest stars, standing face to face, just the two of them, alone on a stage to finally announce the big fight -- one of the biggest ever. The long-awaited moment played out Wednesday afternoon at the Nokia Theatre in downtown Los Angeles where, following red-carpet arrivals that made this look more like a Hollywood awards show than a boxing news conference, the fighters were introduced to more than 700 credentialed media members. That is a gigantic number for a boxing news conference. But, then again, this was not a normal boxing news conference. And it is the only joint news conference Mayweather and Pacquiao will hold to hype the fight until fight week. Then, a few days later, they will square off to unify their welterweight world titles, determine pound-for-pound supremacy and crown the king of their era on May 2 (Showtime PPV/HBO PPV) at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. "I believe this is what you are waiting for since five years ago," Pacquiao said with a smile from the podium, referencing the long haul it took for the sides to finally make a deal for a fight that will easily be the richest in boxing history. "The fight is on, and we're very excited. Both of us will undergo hard training and we will do our best on May 2 to make you happy."

When Mayweather came to the podium, he was low key and soft spoken.

"It's been a long road, but we're here now," Mayweather said. "May 2, the fight of the century. It's all about the best fighting best, and Pacquiao is one of the best fighters of this era.

"Everything is about timing. I think we couldn't choose a better time. This is a fight that the world can't miss. It's an unbelievable matchup, action-packed fight. I'm in the gym working right now, dedicating myself to the sport, pushing myself to the limit because I never wanted to win a fight so bad in my life, and I'm pretty sure he is going to push himself to the limit because he wants to win it the same way I want to win it."

For more than five years, the fight has loomed as the biggest in boxing. But numerous ups and downs and contentious talks kept it from being made for years. The deal was finally signed Feb. 20, helped along by a chance meeting between the fighters at a Miami Heat basketball game in late January, and it was as though all the years of rancor and bad feelings over previous failed negotiations had never happened when the sides got together for the news conference.

The talk from the fighters and their teams -- and even rival television executives from HBO (which has a contract with Pacquiao) and Showtime (which has a deal with Mayweather), who had to make a deal for a joint pay-per-view to make the fight possible -- turned the proceedings into something of a lovefest. With the pomp and circumstance behind us after Wednesday's news conference between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao in Los Angeles, here are five things we learned, writes Brian Campbell. Story "We're family. We're all part of this boxing family," said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum, Pacquiao's promoter, referencing the well-publicized animosity between the camps when he made his remarks from the podium.

Arum promoted Mayweather for most of his career until their acrimonious breakup in 2006, but even they shared some light moments. When Mayweather, sitting a few feet from Arum, smiled at one of his comments, he turned to Mayweather and said, "You missed me, right, Floyd?" There was plenty of discussion about how big the fight will be. Most view it as a lock to break the all-time pay-per-view buy record of 2.4 million for Mayweather's 2007 HBO PPV fight against Oscar De La Hoya and the all-time pay-per-view revenue record of $150 million set by Mayweather's 2013 fight with Canelo Alvarez on Showtime PPV. Counting all streams of revenue, many believe the fight will generate more than $400 million.

"We had [Muhammad] Ali-[Joe] Frazier, we had [Sugar Ray] Leonard-[Roberto] Duran, we had Leonard-[Marvin] Hagler, and now we have Pacquiao and Mayweather," Arum said. "This is the biggest fight of its era. It's a great event for boxing. Everybody around the world is interested in this fight -- ambassadors, senators, celebrities." "This is the super bowl of boxing," HBO Sports president Ken Hershman said. "They're the two greatest boxers of their generation. It transcends boxing for sure and it probably transcends sports." If there was any trash talk, it came from Freddie Roach, Pacquiao's Hall of Fame trainer, who was instrumental in getting the final round of negotiations going between Arum and CBS Corp. president Leslie Moonves, who oversees CBS-owned Showtime.

"I love challenges. This is the biggest challenge of my life," Roach said. "It's finally here and in front of me. I've been looking forward to this for a long, long time. We're in the fight of our lives but we're gonna kick his ass. Good luck, Floyd." Said Pacquiao, "He has a good defense but I'm not worried about that. I can easily break that defense."

Mayweather (47-0, 26 KOs), 38, of Las Vegas, who stands to earn more than $100 million, is rarely flustered by comments from his foe. Asked about the magnitude of the bout, he said simply, "It's just another fight for me. He's a guy that I can not overlook. He's a very exciting fighter. It's an intriguing matchup." Mayweather, who prides himself on his undefeated record, did bring up the fact that Pacquiao has lost before. Mayweather believes that is an advantage for him.

"One thing I do know about any sport -- when you lose, it's in your mind," Mayweather said. "If you lost once, it's in your mind. If you lost twice, it's in your mind. From day one, I was always taught to be a winner no matter what, push yourself to the limit, stay focused and be the best that you can be.

"We've faced all the top guys. I believe in my skills, I believe in myself and I believe I'm going to be victorious." The 36-year-old Pacquiao (57-5-2, 38 KOs), the Filipino legend, is the underdog but said the fight won't be his toughest.

"I don't anticipate this being the hardest fight," he said. "That would be Miguel Cotto, [Oscar] De La Hoya and [Antonio] Margarito. I knew De La Hoya was fast, and I was moving up two weight classes [to fight him]. And Cotto I knew was a very hard puncher. And Margarito hit very hard and was much bigger than me. I don't see that in Floyd Mayweather. I don't see any of that."

Both fighters said they were happy the fight had finally been made. "This is a very important fight, a big fight," Pacquiao said. "Last year, by November, I knew [the fight would happen]. I realized that it's time. I'm the one who is going to push it to make the fight happen, and it happened. That coincidence that we met in Miami, it helped a lot, a big help for this fight. [But] I knew it before that. I had faith that the fight would happen because Floyd had nowhere else to go." Pacquiao gave into numerous Mayweather demands in order to get the deal done, including giving him the lion's share of the revenue. "I agreed with what he wanted to do to make the fight happen, 40-60," Pacquiao said. Mayweather and Pacquiao both are winding down their all-time great careers, and Mayweather also said he was pleased the fight the public has wanted for so long is finally on.

"Without everyone together, we couldn't make this fight happen, so I have to be thankful we came together to give the world the fight they want to see, Mayweather-Pacquiao," he said. "May 2 is when the world stops to tune in to Mayweather-Pacquiao, the biggest fight in boxing history." They posed together before the news conference began and then posed together again when the formal portion was over. Like it had been a half-hour earlier, it was still hard to believe the fight was finally happening.

Manny Pacquiao

Emmanuel "Manny" Dapidran Pacquiao, born December 17, 1978) is a Filipino world champion professional boxer. At 32 he was elected to the Philippine House of Representatives. He has also been involved in basketball, acting, and is a retired singer. He is the first and only eight-division world champion, in which he has won ten world titles, as well as the first to win the lineal championship in four different weight classes.

According to Forbes, he was the 14th highest paid athlete in the world as of 2013. He was named "Fighter of the Decade" for the 2000s (decade) by the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA), World Boxing Council (WBC) and World Boxing Organization (WBO). He is also a three-time The Ring and BWAA "Fighter of the Year," winning the award in 2006, 2008, and 2009, and the Best Fighter ESPY Award in 2009 and 2011. He is the current WBO welterweight champion and is currently ranked number three on The Ring pound-for-pound list. He was long rated as the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world by some sporting news and boxing websites, including ESPN, Sports Illustrated, Sporting Life, Yahoo! Sports, About.com, BoxRec and The Ring from his climb to Lightweight until his losses in 2012. Beyond boxing, Pacquiao has participated in basketball, business, acting, music recording and politics. In May 2010, Pacquiao was elected to the House of Representatives in the 15th Congress of the Philippines, representing the province of Sarangani. He was re-elected in 2013 to the 16th Congress of the Philippines. Pacquiao, while mostly focused on being a boxer and a congressman, is listed as the head coach of the basketball team Kia Sorento. At 36, he also played 7 minutes of one of the team's games and is thus a professional basketball player. He was drafted onto the team that he coaches as 11th overall on the first round of the 2014 PBA draft by the Kia Sorento, making him as the oldest rookie drafted, as well as the shortest player and the first dual-sport athlete in the Philippine Basketball Association. Pacquiao also owns a team in the PBA Developmental League (PBA D-League), the MP Hotel Warriors. Pacquiao is set to face Floyd Mayweather Jr. in Las Vegas on May 2, 2015.

Manny Pacquiao
Statistics
Real name	Emmanuel Dapidran Pacquiao
Nickname(s)	Pac-Man, Ang Pambansang Kamao (The Nation's Fist), The Mexicutioner, The Destroyer, Fighting Pride of the Philippines, Pambansang Ninong (National Godfather), The Fighting Congressman[citation needed] The Filipino Slugger
Rated at	Flyweight Super Bantamweight Featherweight Super Featherweight Lightweight Light Welterweight Welterweight Light Middleweight
Height	5 ft 6 1⁄2 in (169 cm)
Reach	67 in (170 cm)
Nationality	Filipino
Born	December 17, 1978 (age 36) Kibawe, Bukidnon, Philippines
Stance	Southpaw
Boxing record
Total fights	64
Wins	57
Wins by KO	38
Losses	5
Draws	2
No contests	0

Pacquiao was born on December 17, 1978, in Kibawe, Bukidnon, Philippines. He is the son of Rosalio Pacquiao and Dionesia Dapidran-Pacquiao. His parents separated when he was in sixth grade, after his mother discovered that his father was living with another woman. He is the fourth among six siblings: Liza Silvestre-Onding and Domingo Silvestre (from first husband of his mother) and Isidra Pacquiao-Paglinawan, Alberto "Bobby" Pacquiao and Rogelio Pacquiao. Pacquiao married Maria Geraldine "Jinkee" Jamora on May 10, 2000. Together, they have five children, Emmanuel Jr., Michael Stephen, Mary Divine Grace, Queen Elizabeth and Israel. His daughter, Queen, was born in the United States. He resides in his hometown General Santos City, South Cotabato, Philippines.[20] However, as a congressman of lone district of Sarangani, he is officially residing in Kiamba, Sarangani, the hometown of his wife. Raised in the Roman Catholic faith, Pacquiao is currently a practicing Evangelical Protestant. He is also a military reservist with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Reserve Force of the Philippine Army. Prior to being commissioned to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, he first entered the Army's reserve force on April 27, 2006 as a Sergeant. Later, he rose to Technical Sergeant on December 1 of the same year. On October 7, 2007, he became a Master Sergeant, the highest rank in the enlisted personnel. On May 4, 2009, he was given the special rank of Senior Master Sergeant and was also designated as the Command Sergeant Major of the 15th Ready Reserve Division.

Floyd Mayweather vs Manny Pacquiao, The Stare Down

Rivals Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao met face-to-face on Wednesday (Thursday morning Philippine time) in the only press conference of their superfight on May 2 in Las Vegas. Both boxers posed for the traditional stare down for the very first time which lasted almost a minute. Mayweather and Pacquiao both promised an exciting fight which is expected to generate no less than $300 million.

Manny Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr. Press Conference

Floyd Mayweather Jnr and Manny Pacquiao come face-to-face in Los Angeles on Wednesday . The meeting marks the first, and only time, the pair will square-off ahead of the weigh-in, 24 hours before their mouth-watering May 2 blockbuster bout, so it promises to be explosive. The press conference gets under way at 8.30pm (UK time) and Sportsmail will bring you live coverage so be sure to tune in. Freddie Roach (Pacquiao's trainer): 'We are in the toughest fight of our lives, we are fighting the best fighter in the world... but we are going to kick his ass.' Manny Pacquiao: 'For the fans of boxing, I believe, this is what you are waiting for since five years ago. Both of us are going to undergo hard training for this fight and we will do our best on May 2 to make you happy.' Floyd Mayweather: 'This is a fight the world can't miss, it is an unbelievable match-up. I'm in the gym working right now, dedicating myself to the sport because I've never wanted to win a fight so much in my life.' So, the boxers won't square up until the weigh-in on May 1 in Las Vegas. Until then stayed tuned as Sporstmail will bring you all the latest news, pictures and videos as we gear up to the biggest fight in boxing history.

Mayweather speaks Ellerbe acknowledges Floyd Mayweather Sr, who will train his son for the fight, but who is declining to speak at the podium. And then an emphatic introduction of: “pound for pound the greatest fighter on this planet: Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather!” “It’s all about the best fighting the best. And Pacquiao is one fo the best fighters of this era. Everything is about timing. I think we couldn’t choose a better time. Our game plan is just to be smart and take it one fight at a time, like all 47 [previous] fights. This is a fight that the world can’t miss. This is an unbelievable matchup. Action-packed fight. I’m in the gym working right now, dedicating myself to the sport. Pushing myself to the limit because I’ve never wanted to win a fight so bad in my life. And I’m pretty sure he’s going to push himself to the limit, because wants to win the same way. “One thing I do know about any sport. When you lose, it’s in your mind. If you lost once, it’s in your mind. If you lost twice, it’s in your mind. From day one, I was always taught to be a winner, no matter what. Be a winner. Push yourself to the limit. Stay focused and be the best that you can be. Stephen Espinoza, I want to thank you. Richard Sturm, I want to thank you. Bob Arum, Team Pacquiao. Because without everyone together, we couldn’t make this fight happen. So I have to be thankful for us coming together as one, so we can give the world what thay want to see: “Mayweather-Pacquiao, the biggest fight in boxing history.”

Pacquiao speaks After a long-winded introduction that touches on the ancient roots of the Filipino people, Bob Arum finally brings Manny Pacquiao to the microphone. “I believe this is what you have been waiting for since five years ago,” Pacquiao says. “The fight is on and you’re very excited. Both of us, we are going to undergo hard training for this fight. We will do our best and on May 2 to make you happy. “The most important thing ... is the name of the lord. The name of the lord will be glorified. I want to let the people know that there is a God who can raise people from nothing into something. And that’s me. I came from nothing into something.”

Roach: “We’re going to kick his ass” Freddie Roach, Pacquiao’s longtime trainer, keeps it short and sweet. “I’d really like to thank everyone who made this fight happen,” the six-time Trainer of the Year says. “I love challenges. This is the biggest challenge of my life. It’s finally here, it’s finally in front of me. I’ve been looking forward to it for a long time. “We are in the toughest fight of our life. We’re fighting the best fighter in the world. And we’re going to kick his ass. I’m sorry. Good luck, Floyd.”