HOLLYWOOD?A hamburger before dinner is a luxury for most boxers, but for Manny Pacquiao, it?s a simple pleasure he relishes for not being on restricted diet.
Famished after more than two hours of training, Pacquiao wolfed down the burger with gusto, savoring every bite without any guilty feeling.
Pacquiao, as ardent fight fans know, has a problem which other boxers would love to have. He needs to eat as much and as often as he can to stay within range of the weight limit set for his megabuck bout with Floyd Mayweather on May 2.
A bloated welterweight, Pacquiao is still below the 147-pound limit even as Mayweather checked in at 150.3 pounds during the World Boxing Council mandatory 30-day weigh-in last week.
After finishing off the hamburger, Pacquiao proceeded to partake of the beef tapa, fried chicken, beef stew, broccoli with lean white meat, white rice, and bananas ordered from Nat?s Thai restaurant, just a few steps away from Wild Card Gym here.
?I can eat anything I want and still make weight,? Pacquiao, who?s a natural 140-pounder according to chief trainer Freddie Roach, told Filipino sportswriters at his home on Plymouth Boulevard here.
In fact, Pacquiao boasted, he can even trim down to 135 pounds if needed.
For now, however, the ??Fighter of the Decade?? needs to bulk up a little more as Mayweather is expected to be right on the dot during the weigh-in set at MGM Grand Garden Arena on May 1.
According to Pacquiao, he will be between 145 and 146 pounds during the weigh-in and will be from 148 to 149 pounds on fight night.
Mayweather, on the other hand, can rehydrate to 154 pounds, probably more.
The weight mismatch does not concern Pacquiao; he?s no stranger to fighting heavier opponents. In 2010, the 5-foot-11 Antonio Margarito outweighed him by 16 pounds but Pacquiao still managed to score a dominating victory. ATE/AU
