by Jim Slater
LAS VEGAS, Nevada (AFP) - Verbal sparring between trainers Floyd Mayweather Snr and Freddie Roach has provided a provocative sideshow prior to Saturday's junior welterweight match-up between Ricky Hatton and Manny Pacquiao.
Mayweather, the father of now-retired boxing star Floyd Mayweather who works with English star Hatton, and Roach, the usually mild-mannered trainer who guides Filipino hero Pacquiao, have traded taunts and bad-mouthed each other at will.
"He's Freddie 'The Joke Coach' Roach," Mayweather said. "Who has he really worked with? He had lots of big fighters. He hasn't done anything with them. What fighter has he ever made? He hasn't made nobody. It's that simple.
"I know Freddie is scared right now. He will probably crawl in some hole somewhere. He's the roach."
Roach, the verbal counter-puncher to his outspoken rival, has said Pacquiao has the talent to knock Hatton out in three rounds and shrugged off Mayweather's insults about his training skills and former boxing career.
"You look at who it's coming from. It doesn't bother me," Roach said. "I don't like him. His second-grade insults. Sometimes he gets under my skin so I fire back at him. But it's not going to make any difference in the fight.
"I've got the better fighter."
Each fighter has been respectful to the other even as each expresses confidence that he will come out on top on Saturday.
"That's just what they say. I don?t want to enter into that conversation," Pacquiao said. "I don?t want to talk too much before the fight. I don?t want to think about what they say. Those are their opinions.
"I don?t care about that conversation. My goal is to focus and concentrate on the fight."
That leaves the trash exchanges common at many big fights to the trainers.
"You got whupped so much Freddie," Mayweather said. "You're a bum."
"You're the expert on that," Roach replied.
"I'm already in your head. You ain't got me. I've got you," Mayweather said.
"Get a translator, will you?" Roach said.
"I've got you Freddie. I've got you."
The trainers' spat could serve as a distraction to allow both fighters to focus on their tasks in the ring rather than hyping a fight that stands well on its own based on the success of the men wearing the gloves.
"I don't have nothing against Freddie, but this is warfare," Mayweather said. "I'm looking out for my fighter and I'm going to do whatever it takes for him to win."
Hatton, like Pacquiao, shrugs off the hype aspects.
"I don't pay too much attention to it. Floyd is like that seven days a week and twice on Sunday," Hatton said. "It's Floyd being Floyd. I'll let Floyd do the talking. I know what I?m capable of doing.
"A lot of what we?ve seen is trash talk but I don?t think he?s going to publicly stick his neck on the line as much as he has if he didn?t believe I could back it up.
"I do still believe every word Floyd says. Floyd wouldn't put his reputation on the line and say it if he didn't think I could do it and appear to be a (fool)."
Hatton does think that Mayweather might have had an impact on Roach, however.
"This is maybe the most I've heard Freddie Roach. He is usually very quiet. Now he's talking about three rounds and done," Hatton said.
"When you start acting a little bit out of character, maybe he?s not quite as confident as he says. Maybe he has taken the bait from Floyd."
LAS VEGAS, Nevada (AFP) - Verbal sparring between trainers Floyd Mayweather Snr and Freddie Roach has provided a provocative sideshow prior to Saturday's junior welterweight match-up between Ricky Hatton and Manny Pacquiao.
Mayweather, the father of now-retired boxing star Floyd Mayweather who works with English star Hatton, and Roach, the usually mild-mannered trainer who guides Filipino hero Pacquiao, have traded taunts and bad-mouthed each other at will.
"He's Freddie 'The Joke Coach' Roach," Mayweather said. "Who has he really worked with? He had lots of big fighters. He hasn't done anything with them. What fighter has he ever made? He hasn't made nobody. It's that simple.
"I know Freddie is scared right now. He will probably crawl in some hole somewhere. He's the roach."
Roach, the verbal counter-puncher to his outspoken rival, has said Pacquiao has the talent to knock Hatton out in three rounds and shrugged off Mayweather's insults about his training skills and former boxing career."You look at who it's coming from. It doesn't bother me," Roach said. "I don't like him. His second-grade insults. Sometimes he gets under my skin so I fire back at him. But it's not going to make any difference in the fight.
"I've got the better fighter."
Each fighter has been respectful to the other even as each expresses confidence that he will come out on top on Saturday.
"That's just what they say. I don?t want to enter into that conversation," Pacquiao said. "I don?t want to talk too much before the fight. I don?t want to think about what they say. Those are their opinions.
"I don?t care about that conversation. My goal is to focus and concentrate on the fight."
That leaves the trash exchanges common at many big fights to the trainers.
"You got whupped so much Freddie," Mayweather said. "You're a bum."
"You're the expert on that," Roach replied.
"I'm already in your head. You ain't got me. I've got you," Mayweather said.
"Get a translator, will you?" Roach said.
"I've got you Freddie. I've got you."
The trainers' spat could serve as a distraction to allow both fighters to focus on their tasks in the ring rather than hyping a fight that stands well on its own based on the success of the men wearing the gloves.
"I don't have nothing against Freddie, but this is warfare," Mayweather said. "I'm looking out for my fighter and I'm going to do whatever it takes for him to win."
Hatton, like Pacquiao, shrugs off the hype aspects.
"I don't pay too much attention to it. Floyd is like that seven days a week and twice on Sunday," Hatton said. "It's Floyd being Floyd. I'll let Floyd do the talking. I know what I?m capable of doing.
"A lot of what we?ve seen is trash talk but I don?t think he?s going to publicly stick his neck on the line as much as he has if he didn?t believe I could back it up.
"I do still believe every word Floyd says. Floyd wouldn't put his reputation on the line and say it if he didn't think I could do it and appear to be a (fool)."
Hatton does think that Mayweather might have had an impact on Roach, however.
"This is maybe the most I've heard Freddie Roach. He is usually very quiet. Now he's talking about three rounds and done," Hatton said.
"When you start acting a little bit out of character, maybe he?s not quite as confident as he says. Maybe he has taken the bait from Floyd."
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