Boxing
Ryan Songalia 5y

Manny Pacquiao reminisces while talking about future plans

Boxing

LAS VEGAS -- Manny Pacquiao after more than two years away from the lights of Las Vegas is in a talkative mood.

Having just made his "grand arrival" Tuesday at the MGM Grand, Pacquiao was eager to take stroll down memory lane.

"I missed you guys," he told the reporters. "I feel like this is my first time to fight in Vegas."

Pacquiao wanted to reminisce about his first pro fight at age 16 when he told the Philippines' Games and Amusements Board that he had just turned 18 and had forgotten his birth certificate at home in Mindanao. He was just 98 pounds and said he carried weights in his pockets to get closer to the sport's smallest weight class.

Pacquiao then animatedly relived the 1998 trip to Thailand where he won his first world title against Chatchai Sasakul.

"Nobody cheered for me because they think I'm some kind of opponent who should not fight for the championship of Thailand. But I knocked him out," he said, throwing a left hand as he laughed.

The fight that still gets him excited to watch is his first encounter with Marco Antonio Barrera -- considered Pacquiao's breakout performance in 2003. That was the night he walked into the Alamodome wearing a Tim Duncan jersey, had virtually nobody cheering for him at ringside, and drubbed the man who had taken the undefeated records of Morales and Prince Naseem Hamed.

"For the Barrera fight, I throw a lot of punches from the first round to the eleventh round. I didn't feel tired. The same speed, the same combinations, the same throwing punches. Because for that fight I work every day, 36 rounds and the fight is 12 rounds so it's easy," said Pacquiao.

Now at age 40, his trainers won't allow him to do 36 rounds in the gym.

Every day is a negotiation, Pacquiao said, as he's held back to as few as 28 rounds, allowing his body to recover and keep him from burning out. Pacquiao admitted there were at least four fights when he could tell that over training had zapped his body.

His inability to find an energy reserve in the championship rounds against Jeff Horn, when he had the Australian out on his feet after the ninth, had people calling for his retirement. Instead, Pacquiao looked at it as way to prove himself once again.

"I was challenged because some people say that Manny Pacquiao is no more, he's old. I'm so disappointed and challenged by myself. I can still do more, I can still do what I did before," said Pacquiao.

What happens when Pacquiao can no longer do what he did before?

Pacquiao again said he only wants to focus on the fight in front of him, against Adrien Broner on Saturday (Showtime PPV, 9 p.m. ET) at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

But Floyd Mayweather's name continues to pop up and Pacquaio admitted that even if Mayweather were to return for a rematch, it wouldn't be his last fight.

"My dream is my last fight will be in my country," said Pacquiao, pointing to the Philippine Arena in Bulacan province which can accommodate 60,000.

Pacquaio also insisted he isn't taking Broner lightly, saying that Broner is a good boxer and former champion. Yet whenever they stand face-to-face, Pacquiao can't help but laugh.

"He's a funny guy," Pacquiao said.

Buboy Fernandez, Pacquiao's head trainer and long-time best friend, sees a deeper meaning to it.

"You will see in the fight," said Fernandez. "You never see Manny like that to an opponent, he never says 'I promote you already' or 'Why you didn't greet me happy birthday?' If you analyze that, it's something that'll happen in the fight."

Pacquiao says he's dealt with trash talkers in the past and knows how to zone it out.

"I don't mind his trash talk. I'm professional when dealing with each other outside the ring," said Pacquiao.

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