With the pomp and circumstances behind us from Wednesday?s news conference between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao from Los Angeles — the only time the two boxers will meet before fight week of their May 2 superfight — here are five things that we learned:
1. Mayweather was calm, confident
The true A-side of the promotion, Mayweather spoke last and was notably poised and void of emotion. The pound-for-pound king predicted an ?action-packed fight,? noting that he has been in the gym pushing himself to the limit because he never wanted to win a fight so bad. While the unbeaten Mayweather never took a shot at Pacquiao or his team, he did attempt to plant at least one psychological seed by saying, ?One thing I do know about any sport: When you lose, it?s in your mind. If you lost once, it?s in your mind. If you lost twice, it?s in your mind. From Day 1, I was always taught to be a winner, no matter what.? This was a far cry from Mike Tyson biting Lennox Lewis? leg and threatening to eat his children. Yet Mayweather, in his own way, let his intentions be known.
2. Floyd is the bigger man
The news conference wasted little time giving the people what they came to see: the first staredown between the two fighters. Unlike normal protocol, Mayweather and Pacquiao stood face to face alone on the stage at the start of the news conference. No words were spoken and both fighters stood a more than respectable distance apart. But even though the measurements of each fighter had long been public information, it?s always important to see just how well two competitors literally size up. Mayweather, with advantages of nearly two inches in height and — more importantly — five inches in reach, didn?t tower over Pacquiao per se. But he was clearly the bigger man, which could play at least a part in helping some form their opinion regarding which fighter has the advantage on fight night.
3. It was one big happy family
It was deemed inconceivable that despite the outrageous sums of money at stake, it had taken this long for a sporting event of this magnitude to be made. Egos persisted to the point where many were resigned that the fight would never happen. Yet nearly six years later, here we were. And many of boxing?s most bitter rivals — from Mayweather and his former promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank, to opposing television executives Stephen Espinoza (Showtime) and Ken Hershman (HBO) — blended into one big dysfunctional, yet incredibly cordial family on Wednesday.
Arum, 83, set the tone early by shaking hands with Mayweather and saying, ?We?re all family. We?re all part of this boxing family and we are so proud to put on this event.? Later on, after responding to some snarky comments from Espinoza with, ?Everybody has their own opinions,? Arum softened and turned toward Mayweather again, saying, ?You missed me, right Floyd?? Smiles and laughter ensued. Even after Pacquiao trainer Freddie Roach concluded his comments by admitting they plan to ?kick [Mayweather?s] ass,? it was Floyd who calmly fielded it with a light-hearted chuckle.
The term ?cooler heads prevailed? is one that the business of boxing has become foreign to. But whether or not the amicable behavior showcased on Wednesday was exclusively fueled by financial interests, it was a welcome ? and, quite frankly, logical ? change.
4. Pacquiao has Mayweather?s respect
Mayweather was calculated in the ways he spoke about Pacquiao before, during and after the news conference. It?s clear he has a great deal of respect for Pacquiao?s ability and the danger that this fight truly represents toward his coveted unbeaten record. The fact that it took so long for this fight to happen speaks enough volumes in support of that point. Pacquiao has also never appeared this confident in the way he has talked about an opponent, going so far as to predict a knockout earlier in the day on multiple ESPN platforms. He was also outspoken in the previous months, aggressively calling out Floyd in a way went beyond his typical response of, ?I?ll fight whoever my promoter wants.? One thing Mayweather did make clear in an interview with Showtime?s Brian Custer immediately after the news conference was, ?Everybody keeps talking about how this fight happened. This fight happened because of me.? Pacquiao may be the most difficult challenge of Mayweather?s career, but there?s no question this was the fight he wanted.
5. This fight is a big, big, big deal
You already knew that, right? No one is breaking any news by saying that. But to see the entire sports world focused on a single news conference — with wall-to-wall live coverage on SportsCenter, to boot — had to feel good for any boxing fan. This is what things used to be like, when the sport held a much larger role in not only the hierarchy of sports, but the attention of the casual fan. Closed to the public, Wednesday was an event that was literally a red-carpet affair. With over 600 members of the media applying for credentials, the event was a big deal and it felt that way. The next 52 days leading up to the fight will surely be a wild ride.
