MACAU – With the all the talks about a Mayweather fight overshadowing his bout against the undefeated Chris Algieri, Manny Pacquiao does not want to look past ahead of Sunday’s fight.
“I’m not thinking about Mayweather fight right now,” Pacquiao told reporters before his light workout on Wednesday here at The Venetian Macau.
Top Rank CEO Bob Arum, Pacquiao’s promoter, revealed that he had initial talks with CBS Corporation President and CEO Leslie Moonves, who is brokeing the dream match. CBS is the mother company of Showtime, where Mayweather still has two more fights in his contract. Pacquiao is with HBO.
Arum though wants an impressive win for Pacquiao before looking forward to that possibility of finally nailing down the dream fight that the world wants to see.
Pacquiao’s chief trainer Freddie Roach predicted a first round knockout while his good friend and assistant trainer Buboy Fernandez said they will go home early on Sunday.
Despite all the knockout predictions from his camp, Pacquiao does not want to pressure himself and said he’s ready to go the distance.
“If the knockout comes, it will come. I’m ready to go 12 rounds,” Pacquiao said.
“I have to use my speed and power. No pressure at all [to knock him out]. I don’t want to get careless but what I’m trying to do is to show that the old days are back,” Pacquiao added.
Pacquiao has not scored a knockout win since 2009 against Miguel Cotto. His camp believes the drought will end on Sunday. Pacquiao, too, believes his killer instinct is back. But he just wants his punches to do the talking.
“It is our job to entertain the people,” he said.
Asked if he will show mercy on Algieri on Sunday, the Filipino boxing champion has a more telling answer.
“After the fight,” Pacquiao said.