by David P. Greisman
Abel Sanchez, the California-based trainer whose fighters include middleweight wrecking ball Gennady Golovkin and light heavyweight contender Nadjib Mohammedi, is going with Floyd Mayweather Jr. to top Manny Pacquiao in May.
“I still think Mayweather is too smart for Pacquiao,” Sanchez told BoxingScene.com. “Pacquiao makes too many mistakes. Pacquiao jumps in, and Mayweather is a heck of a fighter. He’s pound for pound the best fighter in the world. I think everybody recognizes that, and I think he’s just too smart for him.”
That’s not to say that Sanchez doesn’t foresee Pacquiao having his moments. It’s just that in his eyes those moments would come late, with Mayweather taking over down the stretch.
“I think the first three or four rounds are going to be very difficult for Floyd to adjust to the speed and adjust to the antics that Manny does,” Sanchez said. “But once Floyd figures that out, I think he will have — not an easy time, but a good time in the ring doing the things that he wants to do.”
Sanchez wishes the fight would’ve happened years ago. He’s happy it’s finally here, though.
“I think it’s a little too late,” he said. “I think that they’re both a little past their prime. But I’m glad it’s happening, just so people stop talking about it. Just so that it’s over with, and whomever wins will be considered the greatest fighter of our era.”
Pick up a copy of David’s book, “Fighting Words: The Heart and Heartbreak of Boxing,” at http://bit.ly/fightingwordsamazon or internationally at http://bit.ly/fightingwordsworldwide . Send questions/comments via email at fightingwords1@gmail.com
