“Luckily Roger won’t be running the corner for Floyd, his dad is in the corner. I think Floyd Sr. makes it an easier fight for us,” said Roach during an interview with Rappler.com.
On May 2nd, Mayweather Jr. and Pacquiao will both finally cross the ropes and face each other in the ring, ready to leave it all in there for the fans their legacy. Too many things will once again be familiar for both champions: the venue, the crowd, and an endless avalanche of media attention.
Today is February 26, 2015, and it has been six days since Floyd Mayweather Jr. posted an image of the signed fight contract for his bout against Manny Pacquiao. It is also 65 days until the first round bell rings for one of the most anticipated fights in the history of the spot. As always the case, the main question at hand is: who is going to win?
“The only thing I hope, that the young cat Mayweather, I hope they do give him his proper credit. Now he’s fighting Pacquiao, and what can you say? And if he should beat Pacquiao, now can you say he’s the greatest of all time? Do you have a problem with him saying it then, or does he have to dig up Ray Robinson too?” said Naazim Richardson via Hustleboss.com. While Naazim doesn’t clearly indicate his pick, he has always been fond of Mayweather Jr., and the fact that Richardson brings up the possibility that Mayweather Jr. could possibly be the greatest of all time, speaks for his judgment of the undefeated champion.
When it comes to picking a winner in the Mayweather Jr. vs. Pacquiao bout, you can’t help but be biased in one way or another. Of course it is essential to be rational and use the information available, and for Juan Manuel Marquez’s trainer Nacho Beristein, experience in preparing Marquez for both, Mayweather Jr. and Pacquiao, should technically add value to his opinion.
“Pacquiao will definitely win. Pacquiao is just too tough and too strong. Pressure and a lot of punches just beats Floyd up,” asserted Beristein via ringobserver.com.
There is no doubt that Pacquiao is one of the toughest fighters in the history of the sport, and packed with incredible stamina and power, he is an absolute freight train in the ring. It is also true that Mayweather’s kryptonite is a fighter that can throw a high volume of punches consistently.
Most fighters and their coaches cater their training and strategy to best increase their change of defeating their opposition. Many boxing trainers also spend a considerable amount of time watching videos, fishing for a tell that they might be able to take an advantage of.
Some fighters on the other hand, have had enough time in the ring to let their experience and ring IQ guide them in the right direction. From the first bell they feel out their opponent, while their corner is looking for flaws and repetitions.
For Floyd Mayweather Jr., who claims that he never takes the time to review the tapes, leaving it to his trainer, a bout against Manny Pacquiao might be a good reason to get more involved.
During the All-Star Game in New York City this past weekend, Floyd Mayweather Jr. gave a quick interview to an on-site reporter David Aldridge, stating that nothing has yet been signed, despite some rumors claiming that Manny Pacquiao has already done so: “I haven’t signed yet, and he hasn’t signed yet. It’s just been speculation and rumors,” declared Mayweather Jr.
In the midst of all the speculations, this statement came not as much a disappointment, but more of a surprise. Although it is hard to classify anything as a surprise when it comes to the Mayweather Jr. vs. Pacquiao history, Floyd’s direct confirmation that no paperwork has yet been touched by either camp was contrary to the many rumors of the fight being announced any second now.
In the midst of the Mayweather Jr. vs. Pacquiao tornado, there seems to be calm area, a mutual understanding and respect of true character from both ends.
In the recent past, for the first time ever, it was Mayweather Jr. who got up and approached Pacquiao during a basketball game. Floyd’s ego is world renowned, yet he took it out of the equation and made first step in personal, face-to-face communication with Manny.
For an unbearably long time, camp Manny Pacquiao was pointing fingers at Floyd Maywether Jr. for delaying, or even avoiding their fight. At the same time, camp Mayweather Jr. were doing the exact same thing, proclaiming that Top Promoter Bob Arum is not letting the fight come to fruition, while Pacquiao is evading certain terms and conditions.
All of this just came to an end, at least for now. In a recent interview with the New York Post, Bob Arum stated that he is now convinced that Mayweather Jr. truly does want this fight to happen: “Based on the meeting with Pacquiao in the hotel suite, Manny and Michael Koncz were convinced Floyd absolutely wants to do the fight.”
Up until now, Mayweather Jr. has been hush-hush about his negotiations with team Pacquiao. With such a significant fight and a potential for a colossal payday, it is no surprise that they are trying to keep as much away from the media as humanly possible. Playing broken telephone is something that ends up happening via multiple interpretations from boxing fans and reporters. This could potentially lead to unintended difficulties in negotiations.
Having said that, in a recent interview with Shade 45 Radio, Mayweather Jr. opened up and briefly discussed the Pacquiao fight matter.
“Everything that everybody is just insinuating, what everybody been saying on TV is false. It’s not true at all… Pacquiao, he’s not in a position to call any shots as of right now and he’s not the A-side, so everything that everybody has been hearing has been rumors,” stated Mayweather Jr.
![Ariza: “We're [Mayweather's] fighting May 2nd but it's not going to be Manny Pacquiao”](https://www.boxing247.com/wp-content/uploads/ariza89.jpg "Boxing photo: Floyd Mayweather Jr, Manny Pacquiao image")
Despite being involved in numerous arguments with camp Pacquiao, more specifically Freddie Roach, that drama doesn’t take away from the fact that Alex Ariza was close with camp Pacquiao, and likely at the time involved in most of their decisions.
Now Ariza is on the opposite team, working for Floyd Mayweather Jr., helping the undefeated superstar with strength and conditioning preparation. There is little doubt that Ariza has some knowledge about the ongoing negotiations between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr.
In an interview with USA Today, Showtime’s Stephen Espinoza has made it clear that while both sides want the fight to happen, finalizing the deal is not yet around the corner.
“We’re making meaningful progress but if we were running a race we would still have a ways to go. Everyone is trying to get to the finish line as soon as possible,” said Espinoza via USAtoday.com.