WHILE trash-talking by the two fighters has been at a bare minimum ahead of Saturday’s (May 02) welterweight showdown between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao, their trainers engaged in a war of words on Thursday (April 30).
Pacquiao’s corner man, Freddie Roach, complained that the Mayweather camp had not yet submitted their gloves for testing before his opposite number, Floyd Mayweather Sr., countered by saying that the Pacquiao camp was simply running scared.
Roach and Mayweather Sr. have got on like oil and water over the years and, hardly surprisingly, there was no eye contact between the two as Roach ended his news conference and passed by Mayweather Sr. on the media center stage at the MGM Grand.
“I don’t hate Floyd Mayweather Sr, I just hate his poems,” Roach said of his fellow American, who frequently recites pithy poems about his fighters’ opponents. “But he doesn’t get under my skin.”
Roach, who declared that he and Pacquiao had developed “a winning formula” to beat Mayweather Jr, was unhappy that their opponent’s gloves had not yet been tested.
“I just asked the (Nevada Athletic) commission if both gloves will be weighed,” said Roach. “Their gloves are hand-made. I just want to make sure the weight is fair, but his gloves haven’t showed up yet.
“Are they half foam and half horse hair, or all horse hair? We haven’t had a chance to test his yet and I’m looking forward to that.”
Mayweather Sr. scoffed when asked why his fighter’s gloves had not been submitted.
“Gloves are not an issue, Gloves are really not an issue because Manny Pacquiao can put the same gloves that Floyd wear.” said the 62-year-old trainer. “They can do it, the same gloves. That ain’t nothing but fear. That ain’t nothing but fear. That is all it is.”
Mayweather added that Manny has been the one that’s scared.
” It wasn’t true all these years, like 5 years, that Floyd was scared of Manny. Now we are finally getting around too it. Now we fit to see.”
Mayweather Jr. will put an unbeaten (47-0) professional record on the line against Pacquiao, an eight-division world champion, and his father claimed the fight was as good as over.
“I don’t think it’s going to be much of a fight,” Mayweather Sr. said, before adding that a knockout was on the cards. ”
Roach predicted that Pacquiao would win on a 12-round decision. (Reuters)