Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao hit mark at weigh-in for historic fight
In front of a large, raucous crowd inside the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao hit the scale for the official weigh-in on Friday to make their welterweight bout official.
It was reported to be the largest weigh-in attendance in the history of the arena, although exact figures were not given.
The first fighter to the scale was World Boxing Organization welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao, who apparently ordered a large lunch this afternoon in the hours leading up to the weigh-in. Pacquiao was smiling and even taking selfies with his entourage before hitting the stage, where he came in at 145 pounds.
Earlier in the week, Pacquiao was at 143. Pacquiao was always going to be the smaller man in the fight, so he didn't struggle at all to hit the required limit of 147 pounds for this welterweight title fight.
Following Pacquiao on the scale, Mayweather made his way up to a loud chorus of boos from the audience. It was clearly a pro-Pacquiao crowd at the weigh-in, but Mayweather, the World Boxing Association and World Boxing Council champ, never flinched as he stepped onto the scale at a shredded 146 pounds.
Both fighters immediately started guzzling water, although it's Mayweather who will likely pick up size after the weigh-in. He's expected to pick up an additional seven or eight pounds before stepping into the ring on Saturday night.
The two fighters finally came together for the traditional staredown, but Pacquiao just couldn't stop smiling the entire time. At one point before they broke eyes, Pacquiao even said "Thank you" to Mayweather, which Pacquiao explained after the photo opportunity was finished.
"I said, 'Thank you.' Thanking him for the fans that the fight will happen," Pacquiao said.
Mayweather didn't seem to get into the same jovial mood of his opponent. He looked hungry and focused during his post-weigh-in interview. There was no trash talk and no loud chatter from the man who calls himself "the best ever."
Instead, he stayed calm and attentive toward the mission at hand on Saturday night.
"My frame of mind is just to be smart, to listen to this man right here because without my father I wouldn't be where I'm at," Mayweather said. "I think all 47 fights played a major key. I dedicated myself to the sport of boxing for 20 years and I'm ready."
As for Pacquiao, the biggest question on everybody's mind after the weigh-in was the height-and-reach disadvantage he'll face when he steps in the ring with Mayweather. Officially, Mayweather, at 5-foot-8, is 1 1/2 inches taller with a 5-inch reach edge. At the weigh-in, Mayweather looked down at the top of Pacquiao's head.
"I've been fighting bigger guys like (Antonio) Margarito, (Oscar) De La Hoya, it doesn't matter to me," Pacquiao said. "I feel tomorrow the Lord is always with me and strengthens me and he will deliver him into my hands."
With the weigh-in officially complete, Mayweather vs. Pacquiao moves forward Saturday night with the pay-per-view kicking off live at 9 p.m. ET. FOX Sports will have complete coverage, including a live blog with round-by-round results at FOXSports.com from the start of the pay-per-view.
