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Manny Pacquiao met me at the 3-point line and whispered softly, out of earshot from the cameras. "I'm jetlagged -- so, so tired," he said. Then, with cameras rolling, Pacquiao proceeded to hit seven of 10 from beyond the arc before absolutely whooping me in a game of P-I-G 3-0. "It's the jetlag," Pacquiao said one more time, adding a wry smile for good measure. On Monday night, one of the greatest fighters in boxing history ventured onto the hardwood at Los Angeles Athletic Club in downtown L.A. for a conversation with "SportsCenter" set against the backdrop of his second sporting love: basketball. In the fall, Pacquiao, 36, realized a lifelong dream when he made his pro hoops debut as a player-coach in the Philippine Basketball Association. And guess what? Manny's got game, even on the tail end of a five-day, whirlwind press tour that saw him fly from Manila to New York City to Los Angeles to promote his upcoming documentary "Manny," a revealing, warts-and-all look at the life and times of the Filipino pugilist. Narrated by Liam Neeson and co-directed by Oscar-winner Leon Gast ("When We Were Kings") and newcomer Ryan Moore, the film hits theaters and on-demand Friday. After the film's red-carpet premiere at Hollywood's Chinese Theatre on Tuesday night, Pacquiao's focus will return to his day gig and who fight fans the world over hope will be his next opponent: Floyd Mayweather Jr. But first, the fighter of few, softly spoken words (when speaking English, anyway) and a sweet disposition dished to ESPN about his film, his passions and the latest in negotiations with Mayweather's camp.
ALIPOUR: Manny, you're now a two-sport athlete after your debut in the fall as a player-coach in the Philippines pro league. What does basketball do for you? PACQUIAO: Outside my boxing training, my cross-training is basketball, so I do both, and when I'm in preparation for a fight, I have one day of training [per week] for basketball. As a coach, give us the scouting report on Manny, the player. What's your biggest strength? Speed, of course, and outside shooting. And your weakness? My weakness is I'm small, so I'm not good inside. Hold up, we're both 5-foot-7. I'd like to think we're equally tall. [Laughs.] Yes. The NBA is hugely popular in the Philippines. Who's your favorite player? Stephen Curry. Oh yes, the MVP candidate. Your jumper, at least today, would do him proud. But what qualifies you to serve as a pro basketball coach, besides being really famous? I know basketball since when I was young. Before boxing, I already played basketball. You were criticized for risking injury when you played for the Kia Sorento team right before your last fight with Chris Algieri. Do you feel that criticism was warranted? No. They just think that recently I started playing basketball. But they don't know that for every preparation that I had [for his fights] I played basketball. We get to see the many sides of Manny Pacquiao in your documentary. You're a boxer, a congressman, a singer, an actor, a pro baller. If you had to give yourself a job performance assessment, in which of those jobs is your performance the worst? Singing. I vote for your acting. My singing is the worst. I've seen clips from your movies in the Philippines, including the superhero film "Wapakman." Hate to disagree with you, but you're definitely a better singer than an actor. [Laughs.] Thank you. What do you like about singing? I really love music, but I don't think music loves me. [Laughs.] That's the problem. You put out a few tracks over the years. One of your more recognizable songs is your take on "Sometimes When We Touch." It's a pretty lovey-dovey song, Manny. Are you a romantic? [Laughs.] Yes, I'm romantic. I love love songs. How romantic? What's the last romantic thing you did for your wife, Jinkee? Every day, I give her more than 20 kisses. That's a lot of kisses. Also, I play love music in my house. I'm a very sweet person. Does Jinkee like your singing voice, or is she like, "Manny, honey, please, no more"? She likes my music. Let me tell you a little story: I was at a karaoke bar the other night here in L.A., Brass Monkey -- sound familiar? [Laughs.] Yeah, Brass Monkey. There are photos of you all over the walls. The manager, Lou, said you're a regular. Manny, are you a closet karaoke singer? Yeah, I do karaoke. Before you take the microphone, do you typically require an adult beverage for liquid courage, like the rest of us? That was before, when I was drinking. I drink beer and hard liquor and I do karaoke, but not anymore. What were your go-to karaoke songs? Different types. [Laughs.] If I was already drunk, I want the highest voice, like Air Supply, Eagles, Survivor -- '80s music. Arguably your most important gig is your role as congressman in the Philippines. You were recently re-elected. Have you given thought to pursuing the office of the presidency? I'm not thinking about that right now. I don't have that in my mind. But you know, whatever God's will is. Let's say, tomorrow, you're the president of the Philippines and you can fight any world leader in a charity bout. Whom would you want to fight? Charity match? Obama! [Laughs.] Oh man, you wanna get after POTUS? I would have guessed somebody like Vladimir Putin. Yeah, the Russian president. He's a tough guy too. You should Google photos of him hunting in the wild without a shirt on -- I mean, literally hunting with a rifle, shirtless. Does that scare you or make you want to hit him harder? [Laughs.] Hit him harder. By wearing all these hats and taking these risks, you've demonstrated that you operate without fear. Clearly, you're not scared of failing. Give me a few things that do scare Manny Pacquiao. What would make you jump into Jinkee's arms? One thing that scares me is when my relationship to God is gone. Something I liked about your documentary is that you were open and honest about your flaws as a man. You talk about your womanizing, trouble with alcohol -- And being a gambler, yeah. Did you lose your way for a while? Yes. Before, I liked gambling, womanizing, drinking, but when I found God and found Jesus and accepted him as my Lord and Savior, I did a 180-degree turn away from a worldly life. It just happened with conviction in my heart. One day, it just came to my heart: I don't like this anymore. My desire became to read the Bible, pray to the Lord and confess my sins. Only God can change us. Even my friends, they were very surprised that I turned 180 degrees away from a worldly life. I don't regret it. I'm very happy that I found the right path. That's great to hear. Let's talk about the path ahead and your day job. It feels like we're as close as we've ever been to a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight. What's the latest in the discussions between the two camps? We're waiting for the signed contract from them. Me and my promoter, we both agree to the terms and conditions. Whatever he want, we agreed to that already. We're just waiting for the signed contract. Do you have any indication that he will agree to terms, which, really, are his own previously stated terms? The initial conversation, we both agreed. We're just waiting for the signed contract. So your understanding is both sides have agreed to terms? Yes. And you're just waiting for the signature. Yes. When do you expect that signature? I don't know, but we have a time limit for them. What deadline have you given them? Until February. End of January? Yes. Let's talk about some of the deal points. He said he wants to fight on May 2. Have you agreed to that? I agreed to that. Whatever he wants, I agreed. He also asked for more than a 50/50 share. Yes, 60/40. I agreed to that. He has also repeatedly stated that he requires that you submit to randomized drug testing. No problem. That's not a problem since the beginning. And still no signature? Do you ever wake yourself up in the middle the night screaming, "Why won't Floyd fight me?!" You know, first, before, his reason was drug testing. But he knows that's not a problem before. I already agreed to whatever his terms and conditions. He's just making that alibi, to make a reason to avoid the fight. Popular belief is that Floyd's just ducking you. He doesn't want a fight because he simply has more to lose as an undefeated fighter. Do you believe that to be true? Well, right now, I believe that. Why do you believe he's been ducking you? I don't know. Maybe he's scared to lose. The deal isn't signed, but some online sportsbooks have you as a 3-to-1 underdog. How do you feel about that? It's good. When I fought [Oscar] De La Hoya, it was 8-1. If I'm favored, I'm very confident and not focused. If I'm underdog, it's like 200 percent focus in training. Ya know, if Floyd won't fight you in May, have you thought about challenging him to a game of one-on-one in hoops? Hmm. Maybe. [Laughs.] Who'd win? I don't know, maybe me. Maybe? You're a confident boxer, less so as a basketball player, huh? Yeah, but I can win.
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