In the midst of the Mayweather Jr. vs. Pacquiao tornado, there seems to be calm area, a mutual understanding and respect of true character from both ends.
In the recent past, for the first time ever, it was Mayweather Jr. who got up and approached Pacquiao during a basketball game. Floyd’s ego is world renowned, yet he took it out of the equation and made first step in personal, face-to-face communication with Manny.
“When Floyd approached me across the court, we were surrounded by a lot of people. Maybe they’re thinking that we’re going to fight, there and then,” said Pacquiao. I agree that this was indeed a very important moment in the history of the drama surrounding the two fighters, and might have been the catalyst to the fight possibly coming to reality.
After the game, both headed to Pacquiao’s hotel suite to talk, essentially discussing their potential May 2 bout at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.
“Later that night he visited me at my hotel. He did most the talking, and I just listened. I think Floyd is essentially a good person, a nice person,” stated Manny. Such is not a surprising statement coming from Pacquiao, who with time Pacquiao became humbler and more accepting of other people. It is interesting to see that Manny’s opinion of Mayweather Jr. is so much more different than that of many boxing fans and critics, who see him as a villain in the Pacquiao vs Mayweather Jr. saga. “When Floyd is surrounded by his people, his attitude changes and he becomes bossy,” continued Pacquiao.
The Filipino fighter said that they had touched on the topics of the revenue split, fight date, rematch clause and the type of gloves to be used. This clearly indicates that mostly everything that is required of the fighters themselves, has been discussed, and according to team Pacquiao, agreed upon.
