MANILA, Philippines – Floyd Mayweather Jr. sees nothing special about the megabuck showdown with Manny Pacquiao as far as his legacy is concerned.
For Mayweather, the fight – expected to be the riches in the history of the sport – is just another day in the office.
“Well I don't feel that one fight defines my legacy. To me, it's just another day. It's just another fight,” the undefeated American told fighthype.com's Ben Thompson a day after announcing that the Pacquiao tussle is finally a go.
Mayweather is undefeated in 47 outings and believes that Pacquiao will be his 48th victim. He pointed out his several advantages over the Filipino icon.
“I mean, when you just look at the tale of the tape, I have a longer reach, I'm taller, I'm stronger, and I'm more accurate,” he stressed.
Mayweather, currently the WBC welterweight champion, has held titles in five divisions while Pacquiao has won crowns in an unprecedented eight weight classes. Entering their May 2 clash at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, he will enjoy a five-inch reach advantage over Pacquiao (72 inches to 67 inches).
Mayweather is also taller at 5-foot-8 compared to Pacquiao, who stands 5-foot-6 ½.
Apart from those physical advantages, the Las Vegas-based fighter singled out one edge he has over Pacquiao: Mayweather now has Alex Ariza in his corner.
“I think I seen a major change in Pacquiao when Alex Ariza left his training camp. Which is a great thing Alex is working with me now. He's a strength and conditioning coach and he's a great guy,” said Mayweather of Ariza, who used to work on Pacquiao’s conditioning until his bitter falling out with the Filipino’s longtime trainer Freddie Roach.
Boxing experts, however, had claimed that not fighting each other would leave a big asterisk in both Mayweather and Pacquiao’s legacies.
But now that they’re finally fighting, Mayweather and Pacquiao have the chance to further enhance their storied careers. – Dino Maragay