Pacquiao: My biggest fight in life is against poverty

source: abs-cbnnews.com

When Manny Pacquiao climbs the ring for his world title fight against Shane Mosley this weekend, he will be wearing yellow boxing gloves.

The yellow gloves, he said, is a symbol of his struggle to end poverty in the native Philippines.

"All my life I have had to fight. At first as a child I had to fight just to get something to eat," said Pacquiao in the final press conference before the fight. "I believe this world needs new heroes. The biggest fight in my life is not in boxing but it is now to end poverty in my country.

"So this Saturday I will wear yellow gloves as a symbol of unity."

Pacquiao will be defending his World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight crown against Mosley at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada this Saturday (Sunday in Manila).

The press conference, which was done inside the MGM Hotel’s Hollywood Theatre, proceeded without the trash talk usually seen in most pre-fight pressers.

"I'm so happy for this fight because there is no trash talk," Pacquiao said. "The fight will happen without the trash talk and it's a good example to the children who idolize the fighters. In my life it's my experience that the best promotion has been the Shane Mosley fight because everybody is friends."

The 39-year-old Mosley may have a 3 1/2 inch height advantage and 7 1/2 inch reach advantage but he gives away 7 years in age to the younger and heavily favored Pacquiao.

Mosley said he doesn't mind being the underdog.

"That's fine. My goal is to get the victory and the win. We can talk about me being the underdog after the fight.

"I can do all the things I used to do five years ago. Don't ask me about 10 years ago because I can't remember back that far," Mosley joked.

Among those who attended the press conference were Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman and Canadian singer-songwriter Dan Hill.

Goodman presented both fighters with "good luck mayor gambling chips". – With reports from Dyan Castillejo, ABS-CBN News; Agence France-Presse; and Boxing Examiner.com

source: abs-cbnnews.com