Floyd Mayweather says returning to Rocky Balboa-style “throwback training” pushed him to the limit ahead of his super-fight against Manny Pacquiao.
The unbeaten American meets Pacquiao, 36, in Las Vegas on Saturday in a bout expected to be the richest in history.
“I have to go back to where it all started from. I have to go back to day one. Chopping wood, it’s the best for you,” said 38-year-old Mayweather.
Tickets are on sale on online marketplaces for $351,000 (£230,000).
WBA and WBC champion Mayweather has won all 47 of his fights, 26 by knockout, in a 19-year professional career.
Filipino Pacquiao, a six-weight world champion, has won 57 of his 64 bouts since making his professional debut in 1995.
Their welterweight bout has been the subject of on-off negotiations for six years and pundits say it will define who is the greatest fighter of the era.
Mayweather has been chopping 700lb (317.5kg) tree trunks – a method depicted by American actor Sylvester Stallone in his portrayal of fictional boxer Rocky Balboa – during training.
He abandoned the technique after becoming estranged from his father Floyd Sr, who was replaced by brother Roger in Floyd Jr’s corner before returning to oversee preparations for the Pacquiao fight.
“I really want to win and mentally I have to go back to where it all started from because he’s not just any other fighter,” Floyd Jr told ESPN.
“I don’t feel like there’s anything I can’t accomplish and that’s why I’m pushing myself to the limit right now.
“It all started with the sledgehammer when I was 10. When I was 13 or 14, I started chopping with the axe. I stopped using it when I started training with Uncle Roger because me and my dad weren’t seeing eye to eye.”
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