By Mark Vester

It appears that Freddie Roach could very well be the man to replace Floyd Mayweather, Sr. as Oscar De La Hoya's trainer for his May 5 showdown with Floyd Mayweather, Jr. in Las Vegas.

In recent weeks, Floyd Mayweather, Sr. has been very vocal in the media with his $2 million dollar demand to train De La Hoya to beat his son. When they met in November of last year, De La Hoya offered him $500,000 upfront, and another $500,000 if he won the bout. Mayweather Sr. said the offer was unacceptable. Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer said that Floyd Sr's high demand was not going to be met.

Roach told the Boston Herald that he was approached by De La Hoya with respect to training him for the fight, but has not taken the discussion serious because De La Hoya approached him in the past for three other bouts and never used him.

“Oscar did approach me about training him for the Mayweather fight,” Roach said. “But then he’s spoken to me about training him for his last three fights before that, too, and nothing ever came of it.”

Mayweather Sr. has said in several interviews that De La Hoya did not look spectacular until he began training him. He also dismissed every other trainer by repeatedly stating that he is the only man that can show De La Hoya how to beat his son.

"I told him my figure, and he said he'd get back with me," said Mayweather Sr. told USA Today. "I haven't heard from him yet, but soon it's going to be time to step up or step off. He was sensational in his last fight (with Ricardo Mayorga). He didn't start looking sensational until he got with me. I know my job too well, and I'm not stupid, either. I have the blueprint for this fight. What other coach is he going to find to beat little Floyd? But it's his money and his call.

Roach called Floyd Sr. a "joke." He said that the elder Mayweather never did anything to develop De La Hoya or his son Floyd Jr. 

“Exactly who did he ever train?” Roach said. “Oscar was already a finished product when Floyd got him, and the whole time Floyd Jr. was developing as a boxer, his Uncle Roger (Mayweather) trained him because Floyd was in jail.”