Manny Pacquiao hopes to be the first man to beat Floyd Mayweather by sticking to the basics

Manny Pacquiao plans to become the first man to defeat Floyd Mayweather by sticking to the basics when they meet in Las Vegas on May 2. Underdog Pacquiao will bid to end Mayweather’s run of 47 straight wins, 26 via knockout, when the pair finally meet in a ring after years of wrangling.

Pacquiao has 57-5-2 (38 KOs) and has a simple tactic to upset the odds against the American favourite in Las Vegas.

"Use my left and right (fists)," the Filipino answered when asked how he planned to deal with his rival’s height and reach advantage, as well as famed defensive skills. If I hurt him, I expect him to run. Otherwise he might fight me toe-to-toe."

Before flying out to his US training camp, Pacquiao is currently preparing for his third game as a basketball player in the Philippines' top professional league. His determination to play for his Kia Carnival team has raised fears he might get injured before the fight, which US media report could net him an $80m pay cheque.

The devout Christian, however, brushed away injury fears. "I know what I'm doing," said the 5-foot 6-inch Pacquiao, who is the shortest and oldest player in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). He said he would also hit the court again on Saturday, hours before his US flight.

Unlike his boxing, however, Pacquiao's basketball career has been underwhelming. He has scored one solitary point, off a free throw, in his rookie season as player-coach for Kia Carnival.

"That's fine. What's important is my team won. I needed to play to inspire my team-mates," he said on Wednesday as his courtside struggles continued, going 0-2 with an airball in just under six minutes of play.

With him riding the bench for the rest of the game, his team beat the Talk N'Text team, 106-103, their third win against four defeats.

...SkySports