Freddie Roach has revealed that he believes Floyd Mayweather has made Manny Pacquiao mad ahead of their super-fight in Las Vegas on May 2.
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As ever, Pacquiao has remained calm and respectful for the most part when discussing his upcoming bout, although he is certainly confident that he has the ability to inflict a first loss on his rival.
The pair avoided any confrontation or disrespect at the press conference last Wednesday in Los Angeles, but Roach believes that he can tell from training camp that the fire is burning a little stronger than usual within Pacquiao for this fight.
“I can see it in his eyes, in his body movement, his attitude in training that he really wants to win and win decisively. Sometimes, I cannot help but think he’s mad at this guy,” Roach said, as reported by Sky Sports.
“I can feel when we’re doing the mitts. With the way he hits the mitts, I can see it on how he responds to the things we want him to do. The efforts he has been doing which I didn’t see in his previous similarly important fights.
“I’ve never seen him dislike an opponent in my life, but you know what, he doesn’t like this guy. He won’t say anything bad about him, but he won’t say anything good about him either. I think Mayweather is his perfect opponent.”
The pair have been at war for over six years with previous attempts at making the fight failing due to various reasons. With disagreements over drug testing and purse splits, the pair haven’t been completely amicable over the years and they will finally get the chance to put their rivalry to bed on May 2.
Roach is adamant that he has the plan to penetrate Mayweather’s defence and allow Pacquiao to hurt him, but that is undoubtedly easier said than done against a fighter who has gone 47-0 over the course of his professional career and has shown an ability to adjust quickly in fights.
Whether it is just mind games or not remains to be seen on fight night, but Roach is certain that he will be getting the best Pacquiao possible to enter the ring.
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