• Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao

Mayweather: World will stop when I fight Pacquiao

Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao came face-to-face at a press conference in Los Angeles © Getty Images

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Floyd Mayweather says he has never wanted to win a fight more after coming face-to-face with Manny Pacquiao at a press conference on Wednesday night.

The pair met in Los Angeles to promote their long-anticipated $300 million mega-fight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on May 2.

"Pacquiao is one of the best fighters of the era," Mayweather said. "I think we couldn't shoot at a better time.

"I'm in the gym right now working, dedicating myself to my sport and pushing myself to the limit because I have never wanted to win a fight more in my life.

"He wants to win just as the same as I do. One thing I do know about any sport is when you lose once it's in your mind. When you lose twice, it's in your mind.

"From day one I was told to push myself to the limit, to be a winner. We tried to make this fight happen in the past but we kept bumping heads about random blood testing. We finally resolved everything.

"May 2, that's when the world stops. Mayweather-Pacquiao, the biggest fight in boxing history."

Pacquiao emerged first on to the stage and when Mayweather arrived the pair stood a foot away from each other in a stare-off that lasted a minute.

"This is what the fans have been waiting for since five years," said Pacquiao. "I came from nothing into something and I owe everything to the Lord."

Pacquiao's trainer Freddie Roach was less polite.

"I love challenges and this is the biggest challenge of my life," Roach said.

"I've been looking forward to this fight for a long, long time. We are in the toughest fight of our lives and Floyd is the best fighter in the world, but we're going to kick his ass."

It was the only meeting the pair will have before fight week in a showdown to decide boxing's pound-for-pound No.1 that will make more money than any other fight in history.

American Mayweather, 38, has won world titles in five weight divisions and will take a 47-0 record into the fight against Filipino Pacquiao, 36, who suffered a fifth career defeat in 61 fights when he was knocked out by Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez in 2012.

Southpaw Pacquiao has won world titles in eight divisions and will be putting his WBO belt on the line against Mayweather's WBA and WBC straps.

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