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LAS VEGAS, USA – Floyd Mayweather Sr, the father/trainer of Floyd Mayweather Jr, says his son has completed the toughest training camp he has ever undergone ahead of his May 2 fight with Manny Pacquiao.
“I’m gonna tell you the honest truth. Floyd might be working a little bit harder than he normally works. It’s not a strategy, it’s not a ploy, it’s nothing. [Pacquiao] is just a normal opponent…who is gonna get his ass whooped,” Mayweather Sr told Rappler outside of the Mayweather Boxing Club in Las Vegas on Monday afternoon.
“If [Pacquiao] can get out of this one alive, he’s Superman.”
The 62-year-old Mayweather Sr has been Mayweather Jr’s on-again, off-again trainer, with his brother Roger Mayweather taking over whenever he and his son have parted acrimoniously. Mayweather Sr resumed heading training duties before his Floyd Jr’s 2013 bout with Robert Guerrero.
A crowd of fans and media waited in front of the Mayweather Boxing Club for the arrival of the undefeated boxer, but Mayweather Jr arrived through a back entrance, where he was visited by four-time Grammy Award-winner Gladys Knight.
(READ: Pacquiao’s southpaw edge vs Floyd? ‘Stupid’ – Jeff Mayweather)
Mayweather Sr, like his brother Jeff, feels Floyd Jr will have the edge over Pacquiao because of how well he adjusts to an opponent. “Floyd adjusts for 2-3 rounds. Two or three rounds he adjusts, then after 2-3 rounds he knows what he’s gotta do. He’ll know you by then.
“[Floyd] is gonna back him up, trust me. That’s when the big problem is gonna be. If [Pacquiao] steps backwards, he’s gonna fall on his face.
“I think that Floyd stops him.”
Mayweather Jr is scheduled to officially kick off fight week with the grand arrival at the MGM Grand on Tuesday, April 28 at 2 pm. Pacquiao won’t participate, but will have his own fan rally at the Mandalay Bay at 11 am.
(READ: Manny Pacquiao arrives in Las Vegas)
Mayweather wasn’t the only reigning world champion in the area. Badou Jack, who won the WBC super middleweight title over the weekend with a majority decision win over Anthony Dirrell in Chicago, followed Ishe Smith and Mickey Bey as the third fighter promoted by Mayweather Promotions to win a world title.
Jack says he didn’t get to watch Mayweather much in training until this weekend, when he saw him spar. He thinks Mayweather will pull away from a competitive fight later in the rounds.
“The first few rounds I think it’ll be competitive, but after that I think Floyd’s gonna adjust and pick him apart,” said Jack, who was gifted with a gold Rolex with diamonds in it for his title win.
“[Floyd] don’t know how to lose. He’s a better boxer, everybody knows that. Pacquiao is dangerous, but I just think Floyd’s ring intelligence will be a key to the fight. But you know, in boxing anything can happen.”
– Rappler.com
Ryan Songalia is the sports editor of Rappler, a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA) and a contributor to The Ring magazine. He can be reached at ryan.songalia@rappler.com. Follow him on Twitter: @RyanSongalia.
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