MANILA, Philippines – Before he became a potential opponent of Manny Pacquiao, undefeated fighter Floyd Mayweather Jr. was actually a fan of the Filipino boxing superstar.
Photos of Pacquiao’s fight against Mexican legend Erik Morales in 2006 show the American boxer among the spectators rooting for the Filipino during the match held at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas.
The photos, grabbed from videos taken during the Pacquiao-Morales II fight, have been published on Examiner.com.
Mayweather has become a staunch critic of Pacquiao, particularly after the Filipino overtook him as the top pound-for-pound fighter.HBO’s video of Pacquiao-Morales II shows Mayweather with the jubilant crowd who cheered the Filipino’s technical knockout victory over the Mexican.
When Kenny Bayless halted the fight in the 10th round in favor of the Filipino, the American climbed his seat and lifted his right fist as if saying “My fighter won!”
The fight was the second of the Pacquiao-Morales trilogy that saw the Filipino boxing star winning the last two matches.
Pacquiao was then fighting as a featherweight, and was not considered a potential opponent of Mayweather.
Since that victory, the Filipino boxing star has racked 10 straight victories, climbing his way up to the welterweight division. His victims included bigger fighters like Oscar de la Hoya, Miguel Cotto and Ricky Hatton.
There have been efforts to pit Pacquiao versus Mayweather, but negotiations bogged down twice.
Last week, the American boxer even fired racist remarks against Pacquiao through Ustream, calling the Filipino various names including “Poochiao,” midget, and “yellow chump.”
Mayweather eventually apologized for the remarks, claiming “he was just having fun.”
Source: abs-cbnnews.com
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