Freddie Roach Admits Defeat When it Comes to Pacquiao vs Mayweather

from: By Ian Palmer / opposingviews.com

According to Manny Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach, a proposed super fight between the Filipino WBO Welterweight Champion and undefeated Floyd Mayweather Jr. (41-0, 25 Kos) will probably never take place.

A fight to determine the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world has been in the on-again off-again stages for over a year now -- but looks like it could be permanently off gain if Roach is right.

Roach was recently interviewed on video by Graham Bensinger of Yahoo Sports and seemed convinced the bout won’t take place now because it already would have happened. Roach is surprised that Mayweather would turn

down about $40 million and a cut of pay-per-view profits.  

"I don't think it will ever happen,” Roach said. “It will be one of those fights we're never going to see. It would've happened by now. All that money on the table ... how can you turn it down? Boxing's a sport, but it's a business also."
The fight seemed to be a go for March when negotiations were taking place near the end of last year, but they hit a snag when Mayweather insisted on both fighters being subject to Olympic-style drug testing. Surprisingly to many, Pacquiao balked at the suggestion and negotiations were put on hold. 

Roach said his fighter didn’t want to take a blood test close to a fight with Mayweather because Pacquiao believes the process weakens him and blamed a previous loss to Erik Morales on giving blood just before the bout. Pacquiao then beat the unglamorous Joshua Clottey in March instead while Mayweather outclassed the talented, but aging Shane Mosley at the start of May.

Talks opened up again and it looked like a Pacquiao vs Mayweather fight might take place in November, especially after Pacquiao and Roach appeared to agree to all of Mayweather's demands, which included drug testing and entering the ring first. But Mayweather’s camp said negotiations never resumed.

That led Roach and millions of boxing fans to accuse Mayweather of ducking the seven-time world champion and settling for hand-picked opponents. And while Mayweather might not be ducking Pacquiao, it might be hard for him to fight anybody in the near future since he’s facing several criminal charges in Las Vegas, and could end up being sentenced to a lengthy prison term.

Pacquiao (51-3-2, 38 KOs) will still get into the ring in November to take on Antonio Margarito (38-6, 27 KOs) of Mexico for the vacant WBC Super Welterweight title at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

PinnacleSports.com has Pacquiao favored with odds of -575 while Margarito is listed at +425.