MANILA, Philippines - Freddie Roach sees the Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather Jr. super-fight happening only if both fighters agree to bury the hatchet and let their punches do the talking.
“I’m sure there’s going to be a tradeoff between Manny dropping the lawsuit and him (Mayweather) dropping the drug test,” boxing’s hottest trainer told fighthype.com.
Bad blood developed between Pacquiao and Mayweather when the undefeated American accused the reigning pound-for-pound champion of taking illegal drugs.
A fight between them, one that could have generated $100 million in revenue, was almost a done deal until Mayweather demanded an Olympic-style blood-testing.
Then too much animosity ensued. Pacquiao said Mayweather’s demand was his only way out of the fight, and the other camp thought that refusing the blood test could be a sign of guilt.
Pacquiao sued the Mayweathers, and the super-fight went up in smoke. Pacquiao ended up fighting Joshua, and Mayweather fights Shane Mosley on May 1.
Roach said a compromise should help put the fight together.
“I think that Mayweather is going to let the (boxing) commission do their job, as they always do. He’s saying now that he wants to clean up the sport,” said the four-time Trainer of the Year.
“I don’t think steroids are that used in boxing to be honest with you. I’m sure they’re out there because it’s part of our life in the society we live in today,” he said.
“We’re not going to let Mayweather run the show,” said Roach.
He added that giving in to Mayweather’s demand is like giving away “the first two rounds of the fight,” and sooner or later the flamboyant American may ask for “16-ounce gloves” or “two-minute rounds.”
Pacquiao defeated Clottey to keep his WBO welterweight crown but said last week that fight, witnessed by a live crowd of 51,000 at the Cowboys Stadium, may be his last.
Pacquiao said he’s thinking of retirement so he could focus on politics (he’s eyeing a congressional seat in the May 10 elections), but added that a fight with Mayweather could push through if he beats Mosley.
“And if the price is right,” said Pacquiao.