text: There were no apologies from Floyd Mayweather for claiming to be greater than Muhammad Ali. There was reverence for God, even though Manny Pacquiao believes the Almighty is in his corner. There was an emotional remembrance of the frail old gentleman back in his tough birth-place of Grand Rapids, Michigan who was his surrogate grandfather. Floyd Mayweather is preparing to face Manny Pacquiao at the MGM Grand on May 2 in Las Vegas . Mayweather has defended his announcement that he feels he is The Best Ever ahead of the mega-fight . Mayweather built a reputation on being brash and flash but was soft-spoken during his conference call . There was sympathy for Freddie Roach in his battle with Parkinson's disease' even though Pacquiao's trainer has been trash-talking his claim to be The Best Ever. There were even soft-spoken words of thanks for we 200 hacks on the conference call for helping sell the half-billion-dollar richest fight of all time. Goodbye to the brash, flash, bombastic Floyd Jnr. Well, more or less. Hello to the mature Mr Mayweather who weighs his words carefully and respects one and all. Well, mostly. He has been slammed for pronouncing himself superior to Ali so he said: 'I respect all the great champions of the past. But I've done just as much as Ali did. 'He was champion at heavyweight but I've won world titles in five divisions. He fought for a helluva cause (anti-Vietnam War) but I'm still sharp at age 38. Still going strong at age 38. 'He lost, once to man who'd only had seven fights previously. I'm undefeated. He called himself The Greatest so I call myself The Best Ever. I knew there would be a back-lash but I couldn't care less. 'He said he was greater than Sugar Ray Robinson and someone else will come along in the future to be criticised for believing he's the best.' The God question did not faze him: 'I also believe in God. I've been blessed in my life. I love God and I don't believe God takes sides (in fights). We are all God's children and I don't think he roots for which of us he wants to win.' Geroge Foreman is down on count two after being struck by Muhammad Ali's killer right-hander in 1974 . Ali looks on after he knocked Foreman to the canvas with the holy mother of all right-handers during the bout . Ali called himself The Greatest and the Rumble in the Jungle was voted the best sporting event of the century . Roach has characterised the fight as 'good against evil' but the barbs have not rattled Mayweather: 'I'm not going to say anything negative about Freddie Roach. Not against someone who's not 100 per cent healthy. He's entitled to say what he wants to say. It's better for me to say nothing at all. 'His fighter is not talking like that and it's only me and Pacquiao who will do the fighting. I wish Freddie well.' The new, considerate Floyd choked up a little when asked about important influences who had inspired him to greatness. He took us back to Grand Rapids and a certain Mr Frank Brown, saying: 'He was important to me from the age of three, Like a grandfather. He would drive me to fights in my amateur days (no Money back then). Sometimes hundreds of miles. He believed in me more than anyone. He told me I'd make it. He took me to church. 'He came to so many of my fights right up to Oscar De La Hoya. But he's not doing well now. He's in an old folks home. He's losing his memory. It hurts. I love the guy so much. I think about him every day.' It went quiet for a moment on the line. It seemed like a good time to ask why he had changed from cocksure to contemplative almost to the point of silence. Mayweather slips a punch from Oscar De La Hoya in the eighth round at the MGM Grand on May 5, 2007 . Mayweather poses with the WBC super welterweight belt after beating De La Hoya by split decision in 2007 . 'I had to be loud to get where we are today,' he said. 'At 17 or 18 I was saying look at me. The big personality was part of that game plan. To get to this point we're at now. Making seven figures in one night. Now I'm here. And as you get older you mature.' And he welcomes the challenge which some think threatens his unbeaten legacy: 'I respect Manny Pacquaio. To be here now he must be doing something right. 'We reached the point where this fight had to happen. He's one of the last great fighters of our time left for me to defeat. I'm glad it's happening.' He goes back again to a moment in his youth: 'When I was 17 or 18 Mike Tyson had come out of prison. I went to the MGM to watch him fight. Busy? I thought, man, we'll never see the MGM Grand this packed ever again. Manny Pacquiao says he will have to be a warrior against Mayweather but is convinced he will win . Pacquiao works out at a park in Los Angeles, California, ahead of his $300million mega-fight on May 2 . Pacquiao is joined by supporters during training as he jogs along a city street to a park in Los Angeles . 'But then I started to believe I could do record numbers one day and now me and my team are making it happen.' Two days earlier Pacquiao had time for only two words at his conference call before his promoter Bob Arum hung up the phone in frustration at some questions he deemed banal. Mayweather gave us about half-an-hour of insights which, at the end, came down to these six words of blinding simplicity: 'My game plan is to win.'
target: Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao meet on May 2 in Las Vegas .
  Mayweather was soft-spoken during a half-hour conference call .
  He made no apologies for claiming to be greater than Muhammad Ali .
  Two days earlier Pacquiao had time for just two words at his conference call before his promoter Bob Arum hung up the phone in frustration .
  READ: Floyd Mayweather vs Manny Pacquiao tickets FINALLY go on sale .
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