Freddie Roach accuses Mayweather camp of dirty tricks

Both Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather have started their training camps for their mega-fight. Of course, it would be odd if there weren't some...how should I put this...'gamesmanship' between the two camps leading up to the fight. It looks like we're already well on our way to what will be an interesting couple of months leading up to the fight.

In an interview with ABS-CBN, Freddie Roach is already accusing the Mayweather camp of dirty tricks, which has irritatingly frustrated Roach. Specifically, Roach is saying that he's been trying to hire sparring partners who mimic Floyd's style and that Al Haymon (and his minions) are simply calling them up and offering them more money not to show. I can't lie, whether or not it's true, I find this to be completely hilarious.

"I'm hiring sparring partners, Al Haymon's people calls them up and offers more money for them not to come. [But] I'm not worried about those guys," said Roach.

"We got four really good sparring partners for Manny for this fight, Mayweather look-alikes."

I'm certain there aren't four Mayweather look-alikes in existence, but it's not as if Mayweather is going to find a Pacquiao replica to spar with either (clearly evidenced by his selection of 'Chop Chop' Corley as a sparring partner). In that sense, I'd say they're on fairly equal footing. Roach then went on to elaborate on his thoughts about Mayweather and what Pacquiao has to do in order to come out victorious on May 2nd - adding that he thinks the style match-up favors Manny.

"The guy is undefeated, he's a very good boxer and he's the most talented fighter we'll ever face. He's tricky also... he's intelligent as a fighter. I believe we need to fight the perfect fight," said Roach.

"Speed movement, power... We may need to be aggressive at times because our opponent likes to run a lot, but we will find him," he said. "It's not going to be easy. But styles make fights and I think I have the right guy for this fight."

Freddie also mentioned that he started game planning for Mayweather five years ago, but has since tailored the plan as he's watched more of recent Mayweather fights. Although he claims to be very confident in Manny, stating that he needs Manny to fight a perfect fight is a very tall order. It's going to be a monumental task to fight a "perfect fight" against a man of Mayweather's skills, but I guess if anyone could do it, Manny is the guy.