As Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather get ready for a ring showdown, divided victory predictions stand out. In particular, Pacquiao's long-term trainer, Freddie Roach, has been open as usual with his prediction.
Pac-Man's trainer has long seen Mayweather's milestone career as somewhat "slowing down," as reported in The International Business Times. At 38 years old, Mayweather noticeably has not fought the way he's always used to be in the past. In fact, Roach had these recent observations on Mayweather's ability on the ring, as posted on Boxingscene.com:
"He can't move anymore. That's why he goes against the ropes, to get a breather. He says he's trying to make the fights more exciting for the fans, but all of that is bull----. He's never cared about the fans. He can't move those legs."
Speaking about his client, Roach shared these assets he saw in Pacquiao in a Sports Illustrated interview:
"Manny is not as consistent maybe as he used to be, but his work ethic is still there and he still trains really hard. I don't know that it's as easy as it used to be for him. But his legs are still good. He hasn't lost his step at all."
WBA world welterweight champ, Keith Thurman saw both Mayweather and Pacquiao as close to each other's boxing skills and past victory records. In the end, though, he still saw Pacquiao taking home the winning crown on May 2. Thurman saw Pac-Man's pound for pound talent as a challenge to that of Mayweather's, as reported in The Latin Post. Thurman said:
"I've told people before talking about this fight, don't be surprised if Manny Pacquiao scores a knockdown,"
"You got to understand that scoring a knockdown doesn't always mean that the guy was really-really-really hurt. It just meant that you caught him at the right time, his feet were a certain way."
Thurman stated his clear prediction as follows:
"I think Manny is going to need a knock down, not just a knockdown, possibly more than one knockdown to win the fight,"
"I made that statement as well, that Manny Pacquiao needs at least two knockdowns to win the fight."
Tickets for the May 2nd Pacquiao-Mayweather showdown was reportedly not yet on sale, as revealed in an April 10 CNN article. The Las Vegas MGM Grand Arena's website made the official announcement regarding ticket sale. In its official statement, MGM's website cautioned ticket buyers to be wary against possible counterfeit or fraudulent tickets on sale.
POLLS
Will Floyd Mayweather slow down against Manny Pacquiao on May 2?