Mayweather vs. Pacquiao: Freddie Roach, Floyd Sr Spark Gloves Row Ahead of Fight

Freddie Roach is "concerned" Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s camp may have deliberately withheld the fighter's gloves from the Nevada State Athletic Commission's inspection ahead of Saturday's battle with Manny Pacquiao.

Roach, who is training Pacquiao for the MGM Grand bout, detailed his thoughts on Thursday, per ESPN:

"

I just asked the Commission if both gloves will be weighed. Their gloves are handmade by Grant and ours by Reyes. I just want to make sure the weight is fair, but his gloves haven't showed up yet. 

Now his gloves haven't shown up yet and I want to know what they're made out of: half-horsehair, half-foam, full foam or all horsehair. I'm concerned about what they are made of.

"

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Roach admits the Mayweather camp has shown similar intrigue toward Pacquiao's gloves, but that his team have already received the green light to proceed, reported by ESPN: "They are concerned with mine also so we've already tested mine but we haven't had the chance to test theirs yet and I'm looking forward to that."

Floyd Mayweather Sr. isn't impressed with Roach's comments and suggests talk over gloves is designed to hide Pacquiao's fear of stepping into the ring with his unbeaten son. ESPN reported his comments: "The gloves are not an issue because Manny has put on the same kind of gloves. Fear, that's all it is."

Mayweather is expected to favour using Grant gloves due to their emphasis on hand protection. He has suffered with hand problems in the past, but on Wednesday, David Mayo of MLive posted a notable interview with Bob Ware, who will look after Mayweather's moneymakers during the fight: "He doesn't have hand problems anymore," said Ware.

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Roach previously claimed Mayweather's team have also made a fuss about Manny's cup, saying: "They came to training this week, inspected it and approved it," per Jeff Powell of the MailOnline.

The back-and-forth between the two camps has overshadowed the lack of trash talk between the two fighters. Pacquiao isn't known for goading his opponents, but Mayweather's decision to remain largely calm and collected is a different change of tact by his standards.

Every minor detail, from gloves to cups, needs to be perfect for both sides to happily proceed into the fight. There's history to be made on Saturday night, and if either fighter receives an unfair advantage, millions across the globe will feel cheated.

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Mayweather remains heavy favourite to stretch his 47-0 record. Juan Manuel Marquez is the only man to have knocked Pacquiao out, and the Mexican believes Mayweather will triumph, per Audioboom:

WBA super middleweight champion Andre Ward also believes the "master" Mayweather will take the win, as told to Bleacher Report:

Momentum is rapidly growing toward the fight, with five years' worth of questions finally being put to rest. Mayweather's subdued attitude perhaps makes him seem more formidable, as he no longer feels he needs to strive to assert his dominance.

Both his father and Roach are likely to continue their war of words until the very last, trying to score every little advantage. Thankfully, it's almost time for the talking to stop.