LAS VEGAS — In as wild a scene as ever seen at a weigh-in, Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather stepped on the scale at the jam-packed MGM Grand Garden Arena on Friday afternoon and then came face-to-face for cameras as the crowd went wild one day before the pair will meet in one of the most anticipated fights in boxing history.
Pacquiao, the clear crowd favorite, stepped on the scale first, weighing in at 145 pounds, two under the welterweight division limit. Mayweather was 146 pounds for the fight that will unify their three welterweight world titles, determine pound-for-pound supremacy and crown the No. 1 fighter of the era.
The entire arena was open for the sold-out weigh-in as 11,500 packed the house; fans, for the first time, paid $10 apiece for tickets to a weigh-in. The money raised was all earmarked for charities determined by the fighters.
After they weighed-in, Mayweather and Pacquiao came face-to-face for a long staredown as the electricity of the moment surged through the crowd. It was only the third time they have seen each other during the promotion — once at the kickoff news conference in March, once at the final news conference Wednesday, and then at the weigh-in. They will see each other one more time: at approximately 11:15 p.m. ET in the center of the ring Saturday (Showtime PPV/HBO PPV) for their historic fight.
Mayweather (47-0, 26 KOs) appeared intensely focused at the weigh-in and appeared to bark some words at Pacquiao (57-5-2, 38 KOs) when they came face-to-face.
“My frame of mind is listen to this man right here, my father [and trainer Floyd Mayweather Sr.] because without this man I wouldn’t be where I am today,” Mayweather told Showtime’s Jim Gray during an interview on stage. “I’m ready. I’m ready to fight. This is an unbelievable turnout. Now it’s time to go out there and do what we do best.”
Pacquiao appeared loose as could be, soaking up the adulation from the crowd with a broad smile on his face.
“The fans deserve this,” Pacquiao told HBO’s Max Kellerman on the stage. “This is a great, great responsibility. The fans deserve a good fight. Fans of Mayweather or Manny Pacquiao, they deserve a good fight.”
Asked about fighting a bigger man in Mayweather, Pacquiao said, “I’ve been fighting bigger guys. It doesn’t bother me.”
About an hour before the weigh-in, Pacquiao arrived at his dressing room. It was a festive atmosphere as he was surrounded by about 40 people, including Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach.
Pacquiao, who has no problems making weight, actually has to eat to get close to the division limit. He was eating in the dressing room beforehand, chomping on a Butterfinger peanut butter cup, a candy company with whom he has an endorsement deal, and reading through a book.
Pacquiao and Roach received handwritten letters wishing them luck from Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. They were hand-delivered by a lawyer from Top Rank, Pacquiao’s promoter.