Roach and Floyd Sr. Field Questions Two Days Before The Big One

The trainers had their say on Wednesday in the media center, and Freddie Roach echoed themes he has in the leadup, while Floyd Mayweather Sr., enjoying his time as lead-dog in the corner after years of Uncle Roger getting the spotlight, again stated how confident he was of his son’s triumph on Saturday night.

Roach, the seven time trainer of the year according to the BWAA, said a loss to Money would be “no shame.”

He said that Manny is a different animal, though, that Floyd has hand-picked foes to this point and he had to take this scrap, was forced to do so by Showtime.

Pacman weighed 144 yesterday, he continued, and will do light work at the track, to get a bit of a sweat.

The trainer offered good news, and said that he hasn’t shaken from Parkinson’s in over six months, because he has a new neurologist.

Roach said he wishes that Floyd had furnished his gloves to the Nevada commission at the agreed upon date and said as far as he knows, they haven’t been given to the authorities. (I checked in with glovemaker Grant for an update and asked the Nevada commission for an update as well, and will update when and if I received replies.)

He’d like to know their composition, if they are horsehair and foam, or a combo, or what, Freddie said.

The trainer said that he’s always been cordial with Floyd when he sees him but that Uncle Roger and Floyd Sr sometimes get under his skin. Speaking of that, it seems I got under Floyd Sr’s skin when Iasked what it was in Pacman that made him seemingly more confident than he was going into the Marcos Maidana fights, and the Robert Guerrero and Miguel Cotto fights. Inexplicably, as perhaps the question was too complex, Sr. responded with enmity, insinuating that I don’t know boxing. He dismissed the question and came off as boorish.

Roach, for his part, stood up for Sr., stating that he thinks the trainer should have been allowed on the dais at the presser yesterday. Perhaps it is because of those off the rails broadsides that the promotion has limited his appearances in the leadup to the event. Yesterday, he looked at me and proposed that he sees me as being down with Team Pacquiao, so it seems maybe that is stuck in his head. But it’s for him to say, end of day…

Roach touched on what he foresees Mayweather doing, strategy wise. He said he thinks Floyd will look to test the Manny chin early, but said that he can’t promise Floyd will bring it. His guy will, and will, if Floyd runs, cut off the ring on him. Roach said that he has fallen asleep during Floyd fights, so he’s ready for anything.

He trusts that the judges will give the Congressman a fair shake. The trainer said his guy has been tested more than 12 times for PEDs, for the record.

He was asked about Mike Tyson saying he thinks Floyd might be scared, and noted that he thinks Mike is smart, so who is he to disagree?

Regarding Manny being kayoed before, Freddie said his kid knows that is part of the game, and doesn’t fear it. When they first met, he said, Manny showed him video of him getting stopped, and was totally OK with that. Message: he’s a real warrior, no fear in him. “He’s not gunshy,” Freddie learned right after Marquez stopped him.

Back to Sr…I asked him to kick things off, before he went into antagonistic mode, if he had any response to anything Roach said, being that he was there to hear most of Dedham Freddie’s appearance. Roach is a “joke,” he said, so no.

Did he work on tweaking Floyd’s D? Naw, not really, Floyd has that down, he said.

Sr was asked to compare his kid to Sugar Ray Leonard and other greats. He’s not there to do that, he said.

He and SRL fought, in 1978, and he told us he would have won if his hand hadn’t been fractured. He retired in 1990 with a 28-6-1 mark, having lost his last three bouts. He lost to Leonard, TKO 10, in 1978, in Ray’s 14th pro fight. Ray had beaten Al Haymon’s brother Bobby in SRL’s tenth pro fight, and Micky Ward’s brother Dickie in his previous bout.

Sr. said the fight has already been won, and that it won’t be no sucker shot when and if Floyd lowers the boom on Manny.

And does he think Floyd will hang em up after two fights more? A grown man makes his own choices, the father said.

There ya go…Two more days, and questions will all be answered. We hope…And we know, new ones will be asked.

About the scores, about the judges, about a rematch…Etc.

In boxing, there is always Etc.

— Photo Credit : Chris Farina – Top Rank

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