By Jake Donovan

There’s no question that Manny Pacquiao is the sentimental favorite heading into his epic May 2 showdown with Floyd Mayweather at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. The bout pits the two best fighters in the world in what figures to go down as the most lucrative in boxing history, though not even such stakes are enough for fans to not have to choose a hero and a villain.

Mayweather has grown accustomed to playing the bad guy during his rise to fame, to the point of a considerable level of his popularity due to boxing fans tuning in just to see if he will lose. His brash behavior and run-ins both with the law and other celebrities have only added fuel to the fire, while Pacquiao is viewed as everything that is right with the sport, a fighter who carries himself with class.

In recent years, Pacauiao has strengthened his own religious beliefs, to where he feels that by prizefighting he is doing the Lord’s work. He has also gone on record as to believing that God is in the same boat as most of the adoring public in wanting him to become the first to beat Mayweather.

To his credit, Mayweather refuses to take the bait, instead believing that such a creator has a plan for all of his children.

“God loves us all. I’m a fighter. What I do, I’m a professional prizefighter. I believe in God, I love God. I don’t think God takes sides,” explains Mayweather (47-0, 26KOs), who defends his World welterweight championship, while both fighters defend a slew of alphabet titles. “Everybody has an opinion, regardless of the situation. My thing is this; I feel like we’re all God’s children. Whether you’re American, Filipino, African, Dominican, Asian, we’re all God’s children.

“People are going to root for who they want to root for, it’s plain and simple. I’m pretty sure I got Filipino fans who like me, and I’m pretty sure you got Black American fans who like Pacquiao. I never try to focus on anything like that.I just try to focus on the best fighting the best.

“He’s the last guy… or one of the last good fighters out there to scare up. It’s a fight that had to happen and I’m glad that the fight is happening.”

The event will air live on Pay-Per-View, in a rare joint effort between HBO and Showtime. Mayweather is guaranteed $120 million, while Pacquiao will take home at least $80 million. Both figure to make a heck of a lot more by the time all of the receipts are counted.

Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox