HOLLYWOOD – Over Jimmy Kimmel Live, boxing king Manny Pacquiao declared his readiness to fight Shane Mosley.
Pacquiao was asked by the popular talk show host Thursday evening if he felt alright if the fight was held tomorrow.
“It’s okay,” said Pacquiao with his ready smile.
The crowd, mostly Filipino, applauded.
At the Wild Card Gym, just a stone’s throw away, trainer Freddie Roach earlier said Pacquiao is indeed ready.
He sounded so confident of victory.
“I don’t think we can lose this fight. But we’re not taking things lightly. From day one he knows it’s not an easy fight,” said Roach.
The only concern, the celebrated trainer said, is that Pacquiao may be a little too light for comfort. The fight is pegged at 147 lb, and the other day, before the workout, he was at 150 lb.
Pacquiao must be just a little over 147 lb when he left the gym yesterday, in his black Mercedes-Benz convertible, and tailed by more than a dozen cars.
“We’re in great shape. But the weight is a little low,” said Roach.
The fighting congressman from the Philippines has been a fixture at the popular talk show being aired weekly by ABC in a studio along the famous Hollywood Blvd.
“I feel like we have something going here, and it’s quite dangerous if you didn’t come here before a fight,” said Kimmel, who’d seated Pacquiao thrice in the past.
Pacquiao, a devout Catholic, is so superstitious that he wouldn’t break any practice he had over the last five years where he’d gone undefeated in 13 fights.
If only he could wear the same pair of gloves twice he’d do it.
“I’m ready right now,” said Pacquiao, who came to the show in a bright shirt with stripes, blue jeans and training shoes.
The reigning WBO welterweight champion said he’s not going for a knockout when he takes on Mosley, the pride of Pomona in California, at the MGM Grand on May 7.
“I’m not concerned about that,” he said.
The greater concern, Pacquiao added, is how the people, those who will fill the 17,000 seats of the Grand, and the millions at home, will get their money’s worth.
“My concern is how the people will get satisfied with our performance,” said Pacquiao, triggering another wild round of applause.
During the show, he plugged his newly released CD entitled “Sometimes When We Touch,” which he recorded with Dan Hill.
Kimmel looked so amazed that in one CD there are seven versions of the song. A DVD of the making of the album is also out in the market.
Pacquiao also brought with him a bottle of his own line of perfume MP Scent.
“Yes, I wear it every day,” he told Kimmel.
Before proceeding to the studio, Pacquiao was at the Wild Card Gym, and for more than two hours he did prove he’s ready to fight Mosley.
Pacquiao sparred eight rounds with Shawn Porter and Ray Beltran, did another eight rounds with the mitts with Freddie Roach, and a lot more.
He did three rounds each with the double-end bag, speed ball and skipping ropes, and another eight rounds shadow boxing, a couple of on top of an old tire.
“This is the best,” said Pacquiao as he cooled down.