LAS VEGAS, Philippines — Boxing press conferences normally end up in a draw, with both main combatants scoring enough colorful points to sell the event.
There was a mismatch in Wednesday?s media hype session for the Manny Pacquiao-Marco Antonio Barrera rematch on October 6 at the Mandalay Resort and Casino here.
Barrera, the awful underdog, outpointed and beat the highly favored Pacquiao.
This visibly helped shore up the terrible odds that had initially favored Pacquiao to win by an almost 4-1 difference.
The new Sportsbook posting has Pacquiao now only a minus-260 favorite, down from the previous minus-350. This means you now have to bet $260 on the Pacman in order to win $100.
In Wednesday?s press conference at the Blues Room in Mandalay Bay, the Barrera camp declared their fighter has at least four new different plots against Pacquiao.
The Pacman, for his part, didn?t mention if he has at least one new plan.
Barrera claimed Pacquiao will see the real Baby-Faced Assassin come fight night Saturday (Sunday morning in the Philippines).
Pacquiao could only smile and nod meekly.
Barrera insisted he would end up the victor.
Pacquiao said all he could do is promise to fight his best.
The top protagonists in the ?Will to Win? card came dressed as though they were attending two separate affairs, not the briefing and presentation for the press.
Barrera walked in wearing a sleek black suit with red tie, like an office executive.
Pacquiao came in red training attire, as though he had rushed out of a workout.
In his turn at the podium, Barrera spoke in impeccable English, detailing a short but well-prepared speech.
?I?m nervous,? Pacquiao said, sighing, before thanking everybody, the promoters, the fans, the Filipino people and, finally, his lovely wife.
As in past fight conferences here, he tried to speak in English. He was not very successful this time out, stammering repeatedly and mixing syntax.
After the formal press confab, Barrera moved out of the well-lit stage and continued to score big points on the fringes.
Wasn?t Se?or Barrera already late for his regular workout?
?No training today,? a Barrera assistant in red jacket and jogging pants said.
?Why??
?We?re done, no more training.?
?You mean until fight day.?
?Yes, we?ve already done everything.?
Pacquiao had to leave ahead for the IBA gym, some four miles off The Strip, for his tapering drills, a follow-up to his morning run.
No weight problem, the Barrera team proudly bared, not in a single fight in 17 years.
Pacquiao admitted he had to start drastically cutting down on food intake for the official weigh-in, then just stay in the room to conserve energy, plot and prepare for the big event.
Barrera, in a succeeding interview with a petite Filipina television reporter, bared the theme of what he had vowed would be his last and final fight.
?They will see the real Marco Barrera on Saturday night,? he remarked with firmness and dignity.
He repeated what he had been claiming that he had had major distractions while training for the first fight against Pacquiao in 2003 wherein he could total only 50 rounds of sparring.
Barrera supposedly trained over three months and sparred for over 150 rounds this time.
This must be the plus factors that led him to declare on Wednesday, during the boxers? workout before the media, that the Philippines would be in for a great shock.
Barrera also went on to claim he had been through hell, and made great sacrifices, to make sure he scores a big revenge against Pacquiao.
Pacquiao, silent through all the loud pre-fight verbal exchanges, could only counter meekly and say that he, too, made great sacrifices, so what?s the big deal?
In fact, this included allowing himself to be badly outscored, out-talked in the wordy, noisy phase of the great confrontation.
Pacquiao had earlier maintained that the better fighter would be declared only on fight night, inside the ring.
He did not even see it fit to make a similar declaration in Wednesday?s press conference, where meekness appeared to be his best defense against noisy tirades.
