Mayweather, who turns 38 in three days (Feb. 24 is his birthday), has not lost a single fight since turning pro in 1996 after winning 84 of his 90 amateur fights.
In his fight announcement on Shots, Mayweather said that he is the best ever (TBE) in the sport and his upcoming fight against Pacquiao will be another opportunity for him to show his skill.
“Giving the fans what they want to see is always my main focus. This will be the biggest event in the history of the sport. Boxing fans and sports fans around the world will witness greatness on May 2. I am the best ever, TBE, and this fight will be another opportunity to showcase my skills and do what I do best, which is win. Manny is going to try to do what 47 before him failed to do, but he won’t be successful. He will be number 48.” said Mayweather, who was tasked to do the official announcement .
But Pacquiao’s longtime coach and trainer Freddie Roach — who was also instrumental in getting the fight done — believes Pacquiao will become the A-Side after the fight.
“Floyd should enjoy being the A-side while he can,” Freddie Roach, Pacquiao’s trainer, said. “Because on May 2, Manny is going to put him on his backside,” he added.
Early reports indicate Mayweather is favored to win 2-1 against Pacquiao but boxing experts say Pacquiao has performed convincingly in his last three fights while Mayweather did not look good against Maidana in their rubber match.
Veteran boxer and trainer John Scully said Pacquiao has looked good in his last three fights while Mayweather’s performance against Maidana in their last two encounters leaves much to be desired.
Larry Brown on Larry Brown Sports writes: Pregame.com’s R.J. Bell had Mayweather as a -250 favorite and Pacquiao as a +200 underdog, meaning you would get 2:1 odds on him.
“Sportsbook.com has Mayweather as nearly a 1:3 favorite at -290, with Pacquiao at +230.” Brown said.
In his announcement, Mayweather did not disclose the composition of the undercard for the May 2 event as well as the other important details of the super fight.
