By Miguel Rivera
WBA/WBC welterweight and junior middleweight champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. says Manny Pacquiao is very worried about their upcoming fight. On Wednesday, the two boxers came face to face during their only press conference until the week of their fight on May 2nd at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Pacquiao, who holds the WBO's version of the welterweight title, claims he was more worried when he was facing common opponents like Oscar De La Hoya and Miguel Cotto. Pacquiao faced De La Hoya at 147-pounds and fought Cotto at 145-pounds. He stopped them both. Mayweather fought both of them at the junior middleweight limit of 154 and won competitive decisions over both.
Mayweather disputes Pacquiao's claim, stating the Filipino star is worried because he knows Mayweather won't be "weight-drained" like De La Hoya or Cotto.
"Not true [that he was more worried about them]. I see in his eyes. I can read his body language. He's very worried. He's worried, he's worried. I don't take anything away from him. I don't take any fighter for granted. I never overlook no opponent but I've been in there with everybody. When I fought Oscar De La Hoya, he outweighed me by twenty pounds. When I fought Miguel Cotto, he outweighed me by twenty pounds," Mayweather told TV Azteca.
"I didn't fight De La Hoya at a catch-weight. I didn't fight Cotto at a catch-weight. He knows, as a champion, that if a guy loses so much weight he will be totally drained. He is fighting a guy [on May 2] who is a solid welterweight. I've talked about great, legendary Mexican champions. I've seen [Morales] outbox him. I've seen Marquez beat him also. I study. I watch very, very close.
"He's never faced this style before. He makes a lot of mistakes and I will capitalize on those mistakes. Once Alex Ariza left Manny Pacquiao he stopped getting knockouts. That's saying something. That's saying a lot."
