LAS VEGAS, Nevada — Bagamat malaki ang matatanggap niyang prize money, mas mahalaga naman kay Manny Pacquiao ang respeto.
Matapos ang kanilang dalawang laban ni Juan Manuel Marquez noong 2004 at 2008, ipinangalandakan ng Mexican na siya ang tunay na nanalo.
“He disrespected me. The most important thing to me is respect,” sabi kahapon ni Pacquiao sa kanyang pagdating dito. “I’m not mad at him. I’m not mad at anybody. It’s about what I need to prove.”
Sinabi ni Pacquiao na gusto na niyang patahimikin si Marquez sa pamamagitan ng isang malinis na panalo sa kanilang pangatlong paghaharap sa Linggo (Manila time).
“I took this fight not for the money but to give a great showing,” ani Pacquiao. “This fight is one of the most important fights I’ve had. This fight is really important to me because he says he won the last two fights.”
“That’s why I have been very motivated with my training. I feel like in my training when I was 24 or 25 years old,” dagdag pa ni ‘Pacman’.
Mga matang nagbabaga naman ang nakikita ni trainer Freddie Roach kay Pacquiao.
“Manny has a little extra fire in him. He has been a little rougher on his sparring partners,” wika ni Roach.
Bagamat pikon kay Marquez, sinabi ni Pacquiao na hindi niya gagayahin ang traydor na panununtok ni Floyd Mayweather, Jr. sa fourth round ng kanilang laban ni Victor Ortiz noong Setyembre.
Habang hindi nakatingin si referee Joe Cortez ay sinuntok ni Mayweather si Ortiz para sa kanyang knockout win.
“I won’t do that. I don’t want to disappoint the fans,” paniniyak ni Pacquiao. “I care about the fans. I don’t want them to be disappointed. Nothing wrong with what he did. It’s legal. But we are talking about sportsmanship,” ani Pacquiao.