LAS VEGAS, USA — Freddie Roach has revealed that Saturday’s Fight of the Century between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao could be about to be hit by a gloves row with just hours before the two men are scheduled to clash at the MGM Grand.
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It was on this weekend last year that Mayweather’s fight against Marcos Maidana almost fell through during fight week after the unbeaten champion took exception to the gloves his Argentinian opponent had chosen for the fight.
Eventually the bust up was settled and Maidana was forced to wear a pair of Mayweather’s choosing but the 11th-hour argument forced the Nevada State Athletic Commission to enforce a new ruling whereby fight gloves must be delivered well ahead of any big contest.
But, Roach has revealed that they are still waiting for Mayweather’s gloves to be delivered and that the deadline for delivery has long passed. It means that if there are any arguments about he chosen pair, there will be a frantic race against time to get it sorted before fight night.
Roach said: “I’m going to bring up the glove selection at the rules meeting. Our gloves were selected a couple of days ago, we turned our’s in. I don’t even know if his are in yet.
“The commissioner did set a date and they’ve long past their due.
My real #1 trainer, Pacman. Never prepare for a fight without him. Snuck up on him with my S6. #MayPac pic.twitter.com/tXzNYDweAp
— Manny Pacquiao (@MannyPacquiao) May 1, 2015
“I just asked the commission if both gloves can be weighed, our’s and theirs. Their gloves are handmade by Grant but our’s are made by a computer system in Mexico. I just want to make sure the weight of the gloves were fair.
“But now his gloves haven’t showed up yet and I want to know what they’re made of. Are they half horse hair, half foam? Full foam? Full horse hair? I’m concerned about what they’re made of.
“They’ve already tested mine but they haven’t had a chance to test his yet. I’m looking forward to that.”
But Roach’s opposite number Floyd Mayweather Senior insists Roach’s comments about glove concerns are simply a smokescreen to hide Team Pacquiao’s ‘fear’.
Instead Senior told Roach to worry about Pacquiao’s ability to take a punch following his devastating sixth-round knock-out to Mexican rival Juan Manuel Marquez in 2012.
He said: “Once you get hit like Pacquiao got hit by Marquez, it won’t take too many more punches until it happens again.
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“To be honest, I don’t think it will be much of a fight. It’s already won, trust me.”
Asked what he thought Pacquiao’s best performance was, Mayweather Sr replied: “When he got stretched out by Marquez.”
But Roach was relaxed when asked whether that chilling finish, one of the most iconic one-punch knock-outs in boxing history, still haunts his Filipino charge.
“Marquez is a great counter-puncher,” he pointed out.
“Marquez fought us four times and he learned a lot about us in those four times. I think he’s a smarter fighter than anyone else out there and I think he knew what to do when Manny stepped in for the kill.
“I won’t say it was lucky, it was well planned. These things happen. If you don’t believe you can be knocked out you should pick something else. It’s part of life, it’s part of a boxer’s life to get knocked out and that’s why it doesn’t really bother Manny that much.”
