Mayweather vs. Pacquiao: Early-Week Comments from Money and Pac-Man

What, expect silence from Manny Pacquiao's and Floyd Mayweather's camps ahead of what may be the biggest fight of all time?   

Please. Anyone and everyone has an opinion on the fight. Like their styles in the ring, the two and those closest to them couldn't be expected to stay quiet.

Even the great Muhammad Ali had a say:

Folks know all about the trash-talking Mayweather, who brought on Ali's comments in the first place earlier this month by saying, "No one can ever brainwash me to make me believe that Sugar Ray Robinson and Muhammad Ali was better than me," during an ESPN interview (h/t Austin Knoblauch of the Los Angeles Times).

Pacquiao's not one for trash talk most of the time, but even he and his camp have been active on the path to the fight, so let's start there.

Pac-Man is the underdog, according to the odds at Odds Shark. The status makes sense considering he's the only one of the two with a loss on his record, one of those the knockout heard around the world.

Still, trainer Freddie Roach says Pacquiao's latest camp has his fighter in great form, per Knoblauch's colleague, Lance Pugmire:

"

Since day one, when the fight was announced, he’s raised his level – he’s faster, hits harder – and I ask him if he’s going to hit Mayweather that hard, and he says yes. That gives me a lot of confidence. He knows what he has to do to win the fight. This has to carry over.

The excitement of the fight – of wanting it so long – some guys will [get nervous] and some will say, ‘I can’t wait,’ and that’s Manny for sure. I’ve never seen him at this level before.

"

This sort of talk seems to suggest Pacquiao will try to overwhelm the defensive Mayweather, even if he hasn't scored a knockout since 2009.

It makes sense to those who know Pacquiao's style. He never runs out of gas despite acting as the aggressor throughout each fight, a thought process reinforced by an illustration from ESPN Stats & Info:

Mayweather and his camp seem to know the approach is coming, though.

Floyd Mayweather Sr. told the Sunday Telegraph he doesn't want his son to gamble much when it comes to his career after the encounter with Pacquiao, according to CBSSports.com's Lyle Fitzsimmons:

"

This is a gambler's game and I don't think Floyd should be gambling too much. Once you reach that pedigree and make that kind of money, you don't have to fight no more. Whenever you get in that ring, anything can happen. It looks easy but it ain't as easy as it looks. He makes it look easy.

"

Mayweather's never had a major reason to gamble in the ring, at least. He would rather go the distance and win on the scorecards by landing a much higher percentage of his punches, as he did in each of his last two fights, both decisions against Marcos Maidana.

It makes for quite the interesting in-ring puzzle befit of all of the hype, even if these two didn't have a storied history of ducking one another in their primes.

How about an outsider's perspective?

Five-weight champion Sugar Ray Leonard stresses the importance of not putting too much stock into Pacquiao's knockout a few years ago, as captured by ESPN.com: "Most fighters would never be the same again after a KO like that. But Manny is an anomaly. There will be no self doubt. If it's true that Floyd's legs are slowing down then Pacquiao is the one who could take advantage."

Pacquiao himself recently spoke to ESPN.com about the infamous knockout:

"

The lesson I learned from my loss to Juan Manuel Marquez was patience. I got too overanxious for the knockout when I had Marquez hurt. Knockouts should never be forced. I had Marquez badly hurt and on the ropes. When I heard the 10-second warning to end the round, I thought I could finish him off with one last barrage of punches.

"

The interview puts further weight behind the fact nobody knows what to expect from both men when they step into the ring.

An aggressive Pacquiao, made wiser by a historic miscalculation, clashes with a fellow great, albeit one who has yet to lose and needs little reason to mix up what has worked so well for so long.

This seems like just the beginning of the long march to the fight, too, as both camps will continue to talk right up to the opening bell. 

Strap in and enjoy the ride.