Roach: Manny inks deal to fight Mayweather

MANILA, Philippines – Manny Pacquiao has officially signed on to fight Floyd Mayweather Jr. in what could be the biggest and richest fight in boxing history, the Filipino ring icon’s trainer said today.

Speaking to 8CountNews, Freddie Roach confirmed that his ward has indeed placed his signature on the fight contract, adding that the bout will be held on March 13.

“March 13th is the date, that's not going to change,” he told 8CountNews.

The multi-awarded trainer said that with Pacquiao inking the deal, it is now up to Mayweather to complete his end the deal.

“Well anything is possible with Floyd Mayweather involved, but we signed our contract and that's all I care about. There is nothing that I can do about the other guy. I don't know if they officially signed, but we have,” Roach said.

The bespectacled trainer added that among the things that the Pacquiao camp has agreed on were the glove size to be used and the weight class on which the fight would be held. He, however, did not provide further details.

“Everything looks good. We have agreed on the glove size, and the weight. I talked to (Pacquiao’s promoter Bob) Arum, Dallas wants the fight, MGM wants the fight, Yankee Stadium wants the fight, so it's just trying to find out where the venue is. The fight looks good,” Roach said.

And with the fight now closer to being finalized, how does Roach see Pacquiao matching up against Mayweather?

“It's a difficult fight, it's the most difficult style for us to go against because he (Mayweather) is a runner and a counter-puncher. We will go to camp and we will make some changes, we will set traps for this guy. This is completely opposite of the (Miguel) Cotto fight, opposite of the (Ricky) Hatton fight, and opposite from the (Oscar) De La Hoya fight. We will come up with a new game plan, a 10-week camp, and some changes. We will work on setting traps and taking Floyd's speed away from him,” he explained.

A Pacquiao-Mayweather bout would pit two of the best pound-for-pound fighters in their primes. It is expected to shatter existing pay-per-view records, with both fighters having proven themselves to be mammoth box-office draws. - By Dino Maragay (Philstar News Service, www.philstar.com

Manny Pacquiao vs Floyd Mayweather : Let's get started

Although reluctant at first to give the go signal on a of the 13 fight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr, trainer Freddie Roach is now all out to have two of the world's top fighters pound-for-pound meet in the ring together three months from now hereon.

Actually, roach can't help himself get excited at the prospect of seeing him and Pacquiao get involved in a fight many sees as the biggest of all time.

"I can't wait to get started," said Roach, interviewed by Sky Sports News in London, where he is currently attending to Amir Khan's World Boxing Association (WBA) light-welterweight title defense against Dmitry Salita.

"We talked to (promoter Bob) Arum and he had March date and May 1 available, and Manny chose the earlier date because of the elections in the Philippines,

Roach earlier expressed reservation on Pacquiao taking to unbeaten Mayweather too soon in the wake of his 12-round stoppage of Miguel Cotto just last month, a bloody fight where the Filipino also got his own share of bruises, including a broken right eardrum.

But late Friday night, Pacquiao announced on national television that he has already given his nod to fight the 32-year-old Mayweather on the proposed date given by Arum.

"I'm okay with March 13, Bob (Arum) is just finalizing the details," said the boxing superstar from General Santos City. The date of the mega fights has been one of the many concerns during the negotiations Arum had with Golden Boy Promotions' Richard Schaefer, the man Mayweather Jr. allowed to negotiate in his behalf.

Arum took into consideration the fact that Pacquiao is running for a congressional seat in the lone district of Saranggani province during the national elections two months after the Mayweather fight.

And then of course, there's the Cotto fight factor.

But Pacquiao adviser Michael Konz, said the time world champion doesn't see any problem in a relatively small four-month window to get in shape for boxing's biggest fight.

"nobody knows his body better than Manny. If Manny feels that the plenty of time to rest and recover, then you know, he has to do what he feels is right," Koncz said.

Although thrilled by the showdown, Roach admitted taking on Mayweather Jr. is definitely though.

It's a tough fight because his (Mayweather's) style does give us difficulties, and we need to draft a plan for a new strategy. Yes, it's a tough fight, but it's fight Manny wants," said the three-time Trainer of the Year.

Both fighters reportedly agreed to 50-50 split of the prize purse, with Pacquiao staking the World Boxing Organization(WBO) welterweight title he won from Cotto, meaqning the fight would be at 147 pounds.

The two will also wear 9 ounce gloves, although each will be allowed to select the brand of gloves he will wear for the fight.

The venue of the bout has also yet to be finalized, with the Dallas Cowboys stadium, the New Orleans Superdome and venues in Las Vegas, including the MGM Grand and a temporary outdoor stadium on the Strip, among those being considered.

SOURCE: PEOPLE'S TONIGHT

AUTHOR: GERRY RAMOS