Quigg Offers High Praise For Mayweather, Pacquiao
May 2, 2015 • 11:05 AM ET
By Terence Dooley
Bury’s Scott Quigg will be an interested observer later tonight when Floyd Mayweather, 47-0 (26), and Manny Pacquiao, 57-5-2 (38), take to the ring at the MGM Grand, Las Vegas live on Sky Sports Box Office.
Quigg, the WBA’s World Super bantamweight titlist, has trained at the Wild Card Gym, heading over there a number of times as a novice pro to pick up some tips, so he is fond of Freddie Roach, Pacquiao’s trainer, and Manny himself. However, he also admires and follows the “Hard work, dedication” mantra that has defined Mayweather’s career.
The 26-year-old told me that he won’t pick a winner due to his respect for both men, but admires the way they have worked their way to the pinnacle before meeting to definitively decide who is the best fighter in the world.
“I know Freddie quite well, but whoever wins this fight deserves it,” he said. “If I was a betting man, I’d have to side with Mayweather out of the two. I don’t like to say I want either man to win, as much as I like Manny and want Freddie to do well, because Mayweather deserves to be where he is because of the work he’s put in.”
“I appreciate what they’ve both done,” added the former British champion. “Whoever wins the fight deserves it.
“People see Mayweather’s flash lifestyle, but that’s not all there is. Mayweather would not be where he is or earned what he’s earned if it was just about the money. Money cannot drive you to win—I’d question anyone who says it does. What gets you out of bed (to run in the morning) is the will to win, not money.
“Money isn’t everything, look at all the celebrities who are multimillionaires and, God rest their souls, have taken their own lives or something’s happened (to them). You can’t tell me that money makes you happy. What makes me happy is having my hand raised and doing something I love everyday.”
Quigg believes that if you go beyond the hype, money and figures, tonight’s fight is an encounter between two fighters who got into it for the love of the game, rather than the money and fame.
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