By Edward Chaykovsky
For much of the pre-fight promotion, Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach has made numerous statements about his firm belief that Floyd Mayweather Jr. is physically declining. On May 2nd at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Roach's star fighter Manny Pacquiao will face Mayweather in a WBO/WBA/WBC welterweight unification mega-match.
Roach has been studying tapes of Mayweather and says the undefeated fighter is no longer able to move as he once did several years ago.
"His legs are shot. 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 bullsh*t. He's never cared about the fans. He can't move those legs," Roach said.
Mayweather is closer to 40 than 20, but Pacquiao is also getting up there in age - at 36. While the training might be tougher and the recovery may take longer, Roach still feels Pacquiao is still very close to his peak form - and at the same time he says Mayweather has already passed his.
“Time catches up with all of us,” Roach told Sports Illustrated. “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.”