Underdog tag motivates me – Pacquiao

Manny Pacquiao is taking his fight against Floyd Mayweather in his stride, AFP reports.

The Filipino faces the biggest fight of his career when he takes on the undefeated American in Las Vegas on May 2.

But on Sunday, speaking to reporters as he went through his regular training regimen in his home town of General Santos in the southern Philippines, he said: “This is just like any other fight I had before.

“I’ve been in this kind of situation many times in my previous fights. It doesn’t scare me. I love being the underdog,” said Pacquiao of reports that oddsmakers in Las Vegas are giving his opponent the advantage.

“It even motivates me to train hard and go for the crown,” the 36-year-old former multiple-division champion said.

Pacquiao is so relaxed he is even going ahead with his other job; as player-coach of a professional basketball team in Manila later this week.

But even his fans and associates admit “Pacman” Pacquiao will be the underdog against Mayweather in the “fight of the century”.

The 38-year-old American has never lost in 47 fights. By contrast, the 36-year-old Pacquiao has 57 victories and five defeats on his record, including two losses in 2012.

The Las Vegas fight may finally answer the question of which of the two is the best boxer, pound-for-pound, of their generation.

“Manny likes to be the underdog,” said sports writer Winchell Campos, who is working on a biography of the fighter. “He thrives on that kind of pressure. It gives extra motivation for him.”