LAS VEGAS ? Manny Pacquiao has guaranteed that his old killer instinct will be on display Saturday in his battle with Floyd Mayweather Jr. at the MGM Grand.
It?s the same killer instinct, he said, that forced Oscar de la Hoya, Ricky Hatton and Miguel Cotto into submission years back.
?I focused on my killer instinct,? said Pacquiao just minutes before he took a four-hour drive to Las Vegas Monday afternoon.
Pacquiao was ambushed by reporters as he emerged from his dressing room at the Wild Card Gym after capping an eight-week training in LA.
He talked about the old instinct that turned him into boxing?s biggest draw and left skeptics thinking how a former flyweight could do such damage in the higher ranks.
?I?m thinking and imagining my (old) mood before trying to get back to that mode when I fought Cotto, Hatton and De la Hoya,? he said. Sportshub ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1
He showed traces of that killer instinct during his mitts session with Freddie Roach.
?This is the moment we?re waiting for,? said Pacquiao as he threw a flurry of short punches to the air.
?Let?s get ready to rumble. Kinakabahan na ang kalaban (The opponent is feeling the pressure),? he said.
Pacquiao arrived at Mandalay Bay past 8 p.m. with his family and friends that filled a customized 54-seater bus and at least a dozen other vehicles.
The boxing superstar from Saranggani was in a separate RV with only his immediate family on board.
A big group of Filipino bikers from Los Angeles and Las Vegas, in their loud Harleys, took part in the procession to Vegas.
As soon as he arrived at Mandalay Bay, Pacquiao took an elevator up to his 60th floor suite.
Inside the suite, it was like a party was going on. Pacquiao cannot complain of their presence.
?It gives me more encouragement and determination to focus on the fight,? he said.
