By Ronnie Nathaielsz

Top Rank CEO Bob Arum, who promotes Manny Pacquioao, has been told that Floyd Mayweather Jr. isn’t as impressive in training as his handlers and a couple of sparring partners claim.

In a conversation with BoxingScene.com/New Standard, Arum, who once handled the career of Mayweather said: “The reports we are getting is that Floyd is not looking great.”

He, however, pointed out that there is still plenty of time before his showdown with Pacquiao at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on May 2.

While a very short video of Mayweather showed him pounding an unidentified southpaw sparring partner, while another identified as 27-year-old Don Moore claimed Floyd hits really hard, Pacquiao’s Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach believes he has the faster, more talented young sparring partners.

In fact, Moore, who has a record of 17-0 with 11 knockouts, is a lightweight, who according to boxrec.com, has fought only once in 2012 and once more in 2013 against mediocre opponents.

He scored a four-round unanimous decision over Alfredo Guarneros, who had a record of 5 wins against 9 losses, with 4 knockouts on Nov. 3, 2012 and won by a first-round TKO over Reymundo Hernandez, whose record was 6 wins as against 14 defeats, with 6 wins by knockout, on Nov. 22, 2013.

In the meantime, Arum said that the expensive cream being used on Pacquiao’s calves to prevent cramping “has worked.”

“The cream, which costs $1,800, was developed by people who are experts who really know. It is used extensively on basketball players and baseball pitchers,” said Arum.

The promoter also said they have decided to cut the uphill runs at Griffith Park and are concentrating on running on the track oval with short bursts of speed.

Roach’s assistant trainer, Filipino Marvin Somodio, said that Pacquiao looked fine when working on the punch-mitts yesterday after a good rest over the weekend.