Mayweather vs. Pacquiao: Freddie Roach Comments on Pac-Man's Training

When Manny Pacquiao admitted he's begun training for his next fight last week, he refused to confirm it's for his expected prizefight against Floyd Mayweather. His trainer, Freddie Roach, though, may have let the cat out of the bag.

Speaking in an interview with Seconds Out, the legendary trainer admitted Pacquiao's camp has been searching for sparring partners to mimic Mayweather's style.

"I've done a little bit of research on Floyd and a little bit of research on sparring partners," Roach said. "The Floyd that I watched five years ago is a little different than Floyd today, so I've been watching [more recent] fights."

Roach went on to say he has to come up with "the perfect game plan" to help Pacquiao overcome Mayweather, who is undefeated in 47 professional fights. While he wouldn't outright confirm the fight is happening, Roach's tone spoke to the belief that it's now inevitable the two all-time greats will finally get into the ring.

Mayweather and Pacquiao's camps have been in protracted negotiations since December. Many potential snags—including a split of the purse—are agreed upon, but there has been no formal contract as the parties continue discussing the particulars of what could be the highest-grossing boxing match in history. 

Gareth A Davies of The Telegraph reported over the weekend that Pacquiao's camp had agreed to terms, leaving it up to Mayweather to get the fight done.

Mayweather denied these claims in a TNT interview at Sunday's NBA All-Star Game, dismissing it as "speculation and rumors," per ESPN.com.

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