• Boxing

Mayweather-Pacquiao press conference: What we learned

With the pomp and circumstance behind us from Wednesday's news conference in Los Angeles with Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao - the only time the two boxers will meet before their May 2 superfight - here are five things we learned:

1. Mayweather was calm, confident

The true A-side of the promotion, Mayweather spoke last and was notably poised and void of emotion. The pound-for-pound king predicted an "action-packed fight", noting that he has been in the gym pushing himself to the limit because he has never wanted to win a fight so bad.

While the unbeaten Mayweather never took a shot at Pacquiao or his team, he did attempt to plant at least one psychological seed by saying, "One thing I do know about any sport: When you lose, it's in your mind. If you lost once, it's in your mind. If you lost twice, it's in your mind.

From day one, I was always taught to be a winner, no matter what." This was a far cry from Mike Tyson biting Lennox Lewis' leg and threatening to eat his children. Yet Mayweather, in his own way, let his intentions be known.

2. Floyd is the bigger man

The news conference wasted little time giving the people what they came to see: the first stare-down between the two fighters.

Unlike normal protocol, Mayweather and Pacquiao stood face to face alone on the stage at the start of the news conference. No words were spoken, and both fighters stood a more-than-respectable distance apart. But even though the measurements of each fighter had long been public information, it's always important to see just how well two competitors literally size up.

Mayweather, with advantages of nearly two inches in height and - more importantly - five inches in reach, didn't tower over Pacquiao per se. But Floyd was clearly a bigger man, which could play at least a part in helping some form their opinion regarding which fighter has the advantage on fight night.

3. It was one big happy family

It was deemed inconceivable that, given the outrageous sums of money at stake, it took this long for a sporting event of this magnitude to be made.

Egos persisted to the point that many were resigned that the fight would never happen. Yet nearly six years later, here we were. And many of boxing's most bitter rivals - from Mayweather and his former promoter, Bob Arum of Top Rank, to opposing television executives Stephen Espinoza (Showtime) and Ken Hershman (HBO) - blended into one big, dysfunctional yet incredibly cordial family on Wednesday.

Arum, 83, set the tone early by shaking hands with Mayweather and saying, "We're all family. We're all part of this boxing family, and we are so proud to put on this event." Later on, after responding to some snarky comments from Espinoza with, "Everybody has their own opinions," Arum softened and turned toward Mayweather again, saying, "You missed me, right Floyd?" Smiles and laughter ensued. Even after Pacquiao trainer Freddie Roach concluded his comments by admitting that the plan is to "kick [Mayweather's] ass," it was Floyd who calmly fielded it with a lighthearted chuckle.

The term "cooler heads prevailed" is one that the business of boxing has become foreign to. But whether or not the amicable behaviour showcased on Wednesday was exclusively fueled by financial interests, it was a welcome - and, quite frankly, logical - change.

4. Pacquiao has Mayweather's respect

Mayweather was calculated in the way he spoke about Pacquiao before, during and after the news conference. It's clear he has a great deal of respect for Pacquiao's ability and the danger that this fight represents regarding Mayweather's coveted unbeaten record.

The fact that it took so long for this fight to happen speaks volumes in support of that point. Pacquiao has also never appeared this confident in the way he has talked about an opponent, going so far as to predict a knockout earlier in the day on multiple ESPN platforms.

He was also outspoken in the previous months, aggressively calling out Floyd in a way that went beyond his typical response of, "I'll fight whoever my promoter wants." Mayweather made one thing clear in an interview with Showtime's Brian Custer immediately after the news conference: "Everybody keeps talking about how this fight happened. This fight happened because of me."

Pacquiao may be the most difficult challenge Mayweather has faced, but there's no question this is the fight he wanted.

5. This fight is a big, big, big deal

You already knew that, right? No one is breaking any news by saying that. But to see the entire sports world focused on a single news conference - with wall-to-wall live coverage on ESPN's SportsCenter to boot - had to feel good for any boxing fan. This is what things used to be like, when the sport held a much larger role not only in the hierarchy of sports but also in the attention of the casual fan.

Closed to the public, Wednesday was an event that was literally a red-carpet affair. With 600-plus members of the media applying for credentials, the event was a big deal and it felt that way. The next 52 days leading up to the fight will surely be a wild ride.

Mayweather and Pacquiao were respectful of each other during the media gathering © Getty Images

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