Both Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. have a long lasting relationship, except theirs is not a good fluffy one; instead it consists of strong dislike and social competition.
Pacquiao, while having a shaky past, one filled with cheating, gambling, drinking, and other character tarnishing activities, has always been trying to earn the approval of his fellow man. He was always closely involved in local politics, charities, and actively participated in helping the people every time a natural disaster touched Philippines. After holding a position of a congressman, there were rumors that he is now aiming at elevating his position in the government. A good Samaritan, a loyal husband, and a religious leader, Pacquiao has become a man people can be proud of.
Mayweather Jr. on the other hand, tends to focus mostly on Mayweather Jr. Not to say that he doesn’t get involved in multiple charities and help fellow fighters and their families when hard time strike, but his past as well as his lifestyle don’t leave much room for public service so to say. He believes that he has earned his seat at the throne, thus he should dictate anything and everything involved in his fights.
Despite Pacquiao being a generally good man with no dislike for anyone, according to Freddie Roach, Manny is far from fond of his next opponent.
“I’ve never seen him dislike an opponent in my life, but you know what, he doesn’t like this guy. He won’t say anything bad about him, but he won’t say anything good about him either. Manny’s anger could be because everything has to be his (Mayweather’s) way. He has a comfort zone, like we couldn’t say anything about the fight until he announced it. He is very very insecure,” said Roach via examiner.com.
This is believable. Mayweather Jr. always likes to dictate the rules in the contract that he signs. And for Pacquiao, who was generally in Floyd’s seat when he fought his various opponents in the past, it must be frustrating following orders of someone who thinks that they deserve the right more than he does.
If this is true, if Pacquiao is angry, this is going to play against him come fight night. One of the most revisited advices in the history of boxing was to not fight angry. Emotionless, is the best state of mind when facing a tough adversary. Anger will promote one to make more rash decisions, leaving more room for mistakes.
If there is a fighter out there that will take advantage of every single mistake that his foe makes, it is Floyd Mayweather Jr.
“We will make him to be as competitive as we would want him to be to achieve our target of winning by knockout,” Roach promised.
It would be really bizarre to witness Mayweather Jr. not being the one dictating the pace of the fight, and it would be even more astonishing to see Pacquiao pull that off.
