Manny Pacquiao Media Workout: Top Takeaways Ahead of Floyd Mayweather Fight

Manny Pacquiao's highly anticipated bout with Floyd Mayweather Jr. is just over two weeks away. The 36-year-old took his training to Hollywood on Wednesday for a public media workout, in which he spoke to reporters and did some things in the ring to show where he's at physically. 

While not known as a huge trash-talker, Pacquiao, and his camp, has not held back in the buildup to this fight with Mayweather. That was the case once again at the public workout, with Freddie Roach taking the first shots. 

Per Dan Rafael of ESPN, Roach went on a rant about Mayweather upon learning the undefeated star arrived late for his workout session on Tuesday:

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Mayweather is a different 'A side' now, and you can guess what the 'A' stands for. Just look at which fighter has the most endorsements going into this fight and why. When Manny beats Mayweather, it won't only be about unifying the welterweight titles, it will also be a public service to boxing.

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Pacquiao had fun with Mayweather's tardiness on Twitter:

There was also the revelation from Top Rank Boxing on Twitter that Pacquiao is using a specially designed speed bag:

As far as what the scene looked like for Pacquiao, Roach tweeted out the mob of reporters hoping to speak with the star fighter:

Before Pacquiao stepped in the ring to show off his prowess, his promoter Bob Arum provided his insights for how Pac-Man can defeat Mayweather, via The Philippine Star:

Arum also added, via Jeff G. of Power 106 FM in Los Angeles, that he has no doubt Pacquiao will walk away from the fight with a win:

David Leon Moore of USA Today reported what Pacquiao would like to do with Mayweather after the fight and how he's prepared for the blockbuster event on May 2:

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"I just want to send this message to him – nothing personal," the soft-spoken Pacquiao said. "We're just doing our jobs. And after the fight, if I could talk to him, I want to share the gospel of God. I want to share to him about God, why we need God."

Pacquiao even uncharacteristically watched some tape of Mayweather's fight with Zab Judah, who, like Pacquiao, is a southpaw.

"It was the first time I ever saw Manny watch tape of a fight," Roach said. "He said, 'That's how we're going to fight the fight.' I said, 'That's exactly what I want you to do.'"

Pacquiao said he made the exception of watching tape because "I wanted to make sure our strategy and techniques in training are right."

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Pacquiao's style does clash with Mayweather's, in ways that are good and bad. He comes out of the corner on the attack, taking an aggressive approach to throw off his opponent, but that contrasts with Mayweather's speed and ability to avoid taking hits. 

If Pacquiao is too aggressive, he can punch himself out early, allowing Mayweather to control the pace late to earn a victory on the scorecards. 

Per Lance Pugmire of the Los Angeles Times, Pacquiao said he wants Mayweather to be more offensive than normal. “The killer instinct is still there,” he said, adding that if Mayweather tries to go toe-to-toe, “that’s what I want. That’s what the fans want: action.”

Also in Pugmire's article, Pacquiao took a shot at Mayweather for being all surface level and about material objects. “I’m enjoying this, giving honor to my country, giving an exciting fight to my fans. I don’t want to be a materialistic person," Mayweather said. “If you think like [Mayweather], you’re going to be a materialistic person.”

As far as what happened in the ring, Pacquiao didn't show much. He went through a little workout, as Roach worked with him on some basic fundamentals that a novice fighter would do, and then Pac-Man called it a day. 

That was very much by design because the room was packed with media, as you can see in this view from CBS Sports:

There wasn't much room to move around in some spaces. Pacquiao was there primarily to speak with reporters and did his thing briefly with Roach—nothing more and nothing less. The fact he made a point to show up early and converse with as many people as possible is a stark contrast to Mayweather, who showed up late to his workout. 

Pacquiao wants to have his cake and eat it too. He wants to be everyone's hero and prove he's better than Mayweather. That chance will finally arrive on May 2, though all the pre-fight workouts suggest everyone will see a more aggressive and attacking Pac-Man than in recent fights. 

In order to knock off an undefeated fighter, drastic measures must be taken. Pacquiao has the skills needed to defeat Mayweather. It's just a matter of putting them all together in the right order, like a jigsaw puzzle. On May 2, the world will see if he has the picture in focus.