Manny Pacquiao previews Errol Spence Jr. bout
Eight-division champion Manny Pacquiao shares his thoughts on his upcoming title fight with unified welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr. and explains why he chose such a tough opponent.
Video transcript
KEVIN IOLE: Hey, everybody. I am Kevin Iole, welcome to Yahoo Sports. And I have a guest now who needs no introduction. Everybody knows this guy of course, the Senator from the Philippines and the eight division world champion in boxing, Senator Manny Pacquiao. Manny, how are you, my friend?
MANNY PACQUIAO: Good, thank you. And how are you?
KEVIN IOLE: I am doing awesome. Errol Spence on August 21, that's a fight that I never thought you would take. I know you were at the Mikey Garcia fight sitting ringside.
I looked at how big your expense was, looked at how big you are. And I said, nah, Manny's not going to take that fight. Why did you decide to fight Errol Spence?
MANNY PACQUIAO: I decided to fight Errol Spence because I know that it's going to be a good fight and I want to fight the best. So this is going to be exciting fight.
KEVIN IOLE: Manny, when you fight Antonio Margarito, I was in Dallas for that fight and you won the fight in big fashion. But you said afterwards never again find a guy that big.
So you're going against that right? Because Errol Spencer similar to Margarito in terms of size. Why did you decide to go against it?
I decided to fight Errol Spence because he's not that big like Margarito. Margarito is much bigger than Errol Spence so I think I can fight with him.
KEVIN IOLE: OK. This is obviously a huge fight. And in boxing, there have been a number of those you're sure. It's one of your goals to elevate the sport of boxing and it used to be in the United States.
The biggest sport there was that in baseball and now it's not as you know. Is one of your goals in doing these kind of fights instead of fighting YouTube stars to fight the best in the world to try to elevate the sports?
MANNY PACQUIAO: I'm trying to elevate this sport of boxing to be honored and by the fans and the people. Especially the fighters who are going to promote the fight that they should be respectable and we they be respectful to the fans, to the people and to your opponent.
Just perform your duty and perform your job in the ring and not outside the ring. You should act like a professional and people will respect you and I will honor the boxing industry in high esteem.
KEVIN IOLE: Why do you think boxing isn't as popular as it used to be?
MANNY PACQUIAO: Why does boxing--
KEVIN IOLE: Not as popular as it used to be?
MANNY PACQUIAO: I think it's because like I said, I am a fighter so we are the fighters, we should act like a professional, act and honor each other especially the fans. And do your job in the ring because that's what the people and the fans want.
KEVIN IOLE: How do you see the fight with Spence going? I mean, given he has a big reach advantage on you, I would assume you're going to have to get inside. But what type of fight can fans who are going to watch this?
MANNY PACQUIAO: It depends on his style but I know that we can create more oxygen in the ring because he's and aggressive fighter. I think the fans will be happy and satisfied with this fight.
KEVIN IOLE: You were ringside when he fought Mikey Garcia and he really beat Mikey Garcia decisively. But after that, he had that automobile accident.
You fired Danny Garcia after that, do you feel he's the same fighter physically? Does he move as well? Does he look the same to you as he did when he fought Mikey Garcia before the car the car accident?
MANNY PACQUIAO: Yes, he still can fight and I'm not underestimating him. I'm not thinking lightly and I make sure that I'm in condition. I well prepared for this fight and I think it's all set and I'm excited for this on August 21.
KEVIN IOLE: Manny, can you tell the story. I understand when you came to Los Angeles from the Philippines the train, you went to Japan and then all of a sudden the plane got turned around.
Tell the story of what your travel was like because when you got to Los Angeles eventually, you still went in train the next day, which is pretty amazing to me. What was that story like when you left the Philippines and how long it took until you got to LA?
MANNY PACQUIAO: Oh, we already know like 16 hours and we already passed Japan. We turned around because there's an emergency because there's a passenger that needs a medical help so we land in Japan and go back to the Philippines.
Then we travel from the Philippines to Los Angeles again. We travel like almost 30 hours.
KEVIN IOLE: And then you went and train the next day?
MANNY PACQUIAO: Next day, yes.
KEVIN IOLE: You didn't think about maybe taking the day off like a lot even for you as a hard worker as you are, that's a little crazy.
MANNY PACQUIAO: No, it's OK. I jog and I'm excited for that.
KEVIN IOLE: OK. I want to ask you about your Keith Thurman fight. That was your last fight and you were 41 years old. When you fight Keith Thurman, you're almost 41 years old, right? And you knocked him down in the first round, but he actually came back on you.
Everybody was excited because you had that knocked down but he came back and one judge thought he won the fight. Do you feel like you have to get better this time? Do you have to be better against Errol Spence than you were against Keith?
MANNY PACQUIAO: Oh, yeah. I think I know and we know that Keith Thurman is also a bigger opponent. He's killed Errol Spence than what I think and I survived that fight and I want to fight.
Because of my hard work and blessing from God, guidance from God. This time around I always pray to God to take me and give me strength and to win the fight and I'm doing my best in my training. I am so focused and set aside some distraction.
KEVIN IOLE: Obviously, you had a good performance against Keith Thurman. But do you feel like you let your foot off the gas and didn't fight as hard in the second half of the fight as you did in the first like could you have done better in that fight when you look back on it?
MANNY PACQUIAO: Well, I am happy with my performance against Keith Thurman. I did my best because he is also strong and a good boxer. I wasn't overconfident with that fight.
KEVIN IOLE: I know your good friend Tom Brady won the Super Bowl this past year right? now? You have to come back and win a championship. So have you guys communicated in all of the Tampa Bay quarterback? Have you talked to him recently as he's been in training camp?
MANNY PACQUIAO: Not yet.
KEVIN IOLE: Do you expect to hear from them?
MANNY PACQUIAO: Oh, yeah. We're almost the same age so we keep on going.
KEVIN IOLE: Is that a motivation to you when you see like when you watched Tom when the Super Bowl? People thought he was no good anymore, they thought he was done and he won the Super Bowl. Does that motivate you?
MANNY PACQUIAO: Yeah, that's what I'm talking about. It's just about how you dedicate yourself to you work out, put hard work, how you discipline yourself, and how you punish yourself in a hard training. It's up to you, you're the one to handle yourself to be still in the top.
KEVIN IOLE: And lastly, there is always a lot going on around you. But now the president of the Philippines and you don't seem to be getting along too well. President Duterte and you seem like you're at odds.
When you have the president of the country angry at you and being a rival with you, that's got to be difficult on the mind. How do you focus on your job as a boxer when you have so many issues in your other part of your life?
MANNY PACQUIAO: I can still focus. At the end of the day, they're not the ones who are going to take the blame. I'm the one so I have to be focused and not affected with this other matters like this politics thing. That's how you become being a champion to manage yourself, manage your mind, manage your body.
KEVIN IOLE: Awesome. Manny Pacquiao pay per view on August 21 against Errol Spence. Going for yet another championship, Manny, we wish you the best. Thank you so much for joining me.
MANNY PACQUIAO: Thank you. Thank you very much.
