Moments ago at the post fight press conference for the Manny Pacquiao-Miguel Cotto bout, Pacquiao himself and trainer Freddie Roach addressed the media following their big win. Just minutes earlier Pacquiao had emerged victorious against Cotto in a wild fight to claim the WBO Welterweight championship of the world.
Manny was first to speak and claimed that he simply wanted to thank everyone for being present.
“I’m very proud,” Pacquiao continued. “I just want to enjoy this moment.”
When asked how he would compare his success to that of such fighters as Muhammad Ali, Pacquiao was overly humble and modest.
“First off I don’t want to compare my acheivement to any fighter,” Pacquiao remarked. “We just did our best in boxing. I just want to thank my master in boxing, Freddie Roach.”
While it is indeed true that Roach has become a master to the Filipino fighter, he wasn’t nearly as shy when giving his thoughts on his fighter’s greatness.
“He’s as good as any of them,” Roach said bluntly when comparing his charge to the great fighters in years past. “He’s the greatest fighter of this era that’s for sure.”
When asked about the possibility of a potential clash between Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr., Roach was definitely interested.
“That’s the fight the world wants to see,” the trainer continued. “But we’ll fight whoever is out there.If Floyd wants a 65/35 split he’s not getting it.”
Pacquiao then regained control of the dais, giving respect to Cotto for the battle he had given him.
“It was one of the toughest fights in my boxing years,” Pacquiao admitted. “I took a lot of punches from Cotto. He’s strong and he hits hard. It was all about being smart in the ring and pretending not to be hurt when you really are.”
Pacquiao went on to state that he is looking forward to a long vacation in the Philippines with his family. He went on to thank all of his supporters, especially those from the Philippines, and left the presser with a clear message.
“I owe all of this to God. If you believe in God and keep praying, nothing is impossible.”
