LOS ANGELES – Manny Pacquiao bumped into a Manila-based writer sent to cover the boxing star at the men’s room around mid-afternoon Sunday in Hollywood and while the run-in was brief, their conversation proved telling and insightful.
A burly guard led Pacquiao to the urinal, while another one peeled off a stash of napkins for the fighter to wipe his hands off after washing.
Pacquiao glanced at the scribe and made a face, triggering the writer to fire a question involving the fast approaching May 2 collision course with Floyd Mayweather in Las Vegas.
Pacquiao’s face lit up when told that everyone’s asking and even pleading for him to beat up the brash Mayweather in their 12-round welterweight match.
“Why are you guys so tense?” Pacquiao shot back at the writer, who answered that they’re not actually tense and worried but eager to see the Filipino pride score an emphatic win at the MGM Grand.
“I am the one who’s fighting and yet I am not tense like all of you,” added the 36-year-old Pacquiao, flashing a sheepish smile.
After dumping the paper towels in the trash bin, Pacquiao hurriedly went out of the rest room towards the stage of a place that is actually a nightclub to preside over the awarding ceremonies of a weight loss contest that he himself arranged for members of his team.
While the mediaman continued to ponder about the biggest fight in boxing history, Pacquiao assumed a different persona once he got on the stage, looking and sounding impervious to many believe will be his impending doom.
Later in the day as his household staff began setting up the dinner table, Pacquiao spent a few minutes with Fr. Marlon Beof, a Filipino Catholic priest based in New York.
Even though Pacquiao has found solace in a new religion, the celebrated boxer still engaged Beof in a conversation about the Mayweather fight.