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Manny Pacquiao exuded an aura of calm and confidence even as Floyd Mayweather Jr. tried to get into his head when the two prizefighters faced off in the final press conference ahead of their May 2 showdown.
Both Pacquiao and Mayweather were respectful of each other when they made their statements, but the “Pacman” said he felt that the American tried to intimidate him when they made the traditional face-off.
“Parang he was trying to… intimidate me, pero relax lang ako,” Pacquiao told Dyan Castillejo of ABS-CBN News after the press conference.
Mayweather was stone-faced as he stared down at Pacquiao, but the Filipino champion responded with a slight smile and showed no signs of being shaken or fazed.
“Smile lang ng konti,” Pacquiao said.
Pacquiao did not take the day off after the press conference, going straight to the Top Rank gym in Las Vegas where he did some four rounds on the mitts and again went through the strategy for the fight with trainer Freddie Roach.
“Nakahanda na,” he said. “God is good all the time.”
“The Lord will fight my battle,” he added.
Pacquiao also told the Filipino people not to worry about him as he prepares for the biggest fight of his life – and one of the biggest fights in history.
“Ang masasabi ko sa buong sambayanan, ready na tayo. Huwag po kayong kabahan, relax lang kayo, uminom ng tubig,” he said, smiling. “Ako ang lalaban.”
“Pray for me,” he also said. “Please pray for me.”
Although he seems relaxed, Pacquiao is all too aware of the magnitude of the fight and understands his responsibility to the millions of fans who will watch the bout.
“This is a big fight, this is history,” he said. “This is a historic fight, and we need to give our best na mapasaya namin ang mga tao at saka mag-enjoy ang lahat.”
“Of course,” he quickly added, “the main point is to glorify the name of the Lord.”
Photo: From Nike
This story was republished with permission from ABS-CBNnews.com.
