Las Vegas, Nevada: On Wednesday afternoon (Wednesday evening UAE time) Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao shared centre stage for their final press conference. Smiling as always Pacquiao faced the media with a very positive aura, waving to fans. From time to time he also took selfies with his coach Freddie Roach.
It was the first time for me to see Mayweather in the flesh and he didn't appear to be the bad man many portray him to be. For this press conference at least, I didn’t see the swagger that his fans so adore but critics love to hate. There was no trash-talk as he faced the media and his biggest adversary.
After the press conference, people outside the MGM Grand Arena’s KA theatre were eager to get a glimpse of their favourite boxers. This time, Mayweather’s fans outnumbered Pacquiao’s followers. Security was tight, but it didn’t stop fans from seizing every opportunity to get a glimpse of their favourite fighter.
I headed to Mandalay Bay to attend Pacquiao's series of Bible studies, which he will be leading until this Friday. The suite was jam-packed with family, friends and even fans as the event is open it to all who are willing to attend. There I witnessed the religious side of Pacquiao. Holding public Bible studies up until the eve of the fight certainly speaks volumes of Pacquiao’s faith. The Bible study lasted two hours and people still wanted to stay even though they were required to leave before 9pm.
People brought boxing gloves and t-shirts trying their luck to get an autograph from Pacquiao. But as the fight draws near, Team Pacquiao had to impose stricter rules. Fans were not allowed to go near Pacquiao, no hand shakes, no hugging, no kissing – this is mainly to avoid Pacquiao from contracting any type of illness.
In fact, anyone who feels sick is immediately asked to leave the premises. They also restricted flash photography, selfies and video recording during the Bible study, although that didn't stop some fans from using their cameras and smartphones to capture pictures and videos of Pacquiao. After the Bible study people were asked to vacate the suite, but a few tried to stay hoping that the People's Champ would entertain them still. They had no luck this time.
