Full Mayweather-Pacquiao coverage
The good versus evil angle already in place for the May 2 fight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. has been ramped up yet again, courtesy -- again -- of Freddie Roach.
Pacquiao's decorated trainer told USA Today that he's been busily clueing his man in about Mayweather's past history of domestic violence, which includes a 2012 jail stay after an incident involving the mother of three of his four children, which was reportedly witnessed by two of his sons.
Priming the Mayweather hits women pump beforehand, Roach said, will enhance the in-ring animus.
"Manny is really against domestic violence," Roach told USA Today. "It is a big issue maybe in the Philippines for him and being a congressman he can control some of that stuff. That is a big plus for me that Manny does not like the guy, I think the killer instinct is going to come back a lot faster."
Roach told CBSSports.com that Pacquiao's training camp intensity had already been revved up because of his distaste for Mayweather, which the trainer said was a novelty compared to other foes.
"I've never seen him more enthusiastic about what I'm teaching him and what I'm showing him," Roach said. "The responses back are really, really great. I really like where he is right now. This is the first time we've fought a fighter, I think in our lifetime, that he doesn't like the opponent."
Ironically, it's also not the first time a Mayweather fight has had a domestic abuse angle.
When he fought Diego Corrales in January 2001, he made a point of publicly stating that he was fighting Corrales "on behalf of all victims of domestic abuse." That was a not-so-subtle jab at Corrales, who subsequently went to jail shortly after an incident involving his pregnant wife, Maria.
In fact, Mayweather's team claimed to have reserved a ringside seat for Corrales' wife, though Corrales insisted it was just theatrics because she was expected to give birth shortly before the fight. Corrales ultimately entered fight at 30-0 with 28 knockouts, but Mayweather floored him five times to prompt surrender from Corrales' corner at the 2:19 mark of the 10th round.
Regarding Pacquiao, the hostility between the camps also involves a 2010 online video in which Mayweather referred to him as a "little yellow chump," and a subsequent lawsuit -- settled out of court -- that sprang from comments suggesting Pacquiao had used performance-enhancing drugs.
Still, SiriusXM boxing host Randy Gordon views the chatter as largely that -- chatter.
"I think it is a lot PR," he told CBSSports.com. "Who knows what they will come up with next to keep us talking about this fight until the bell rings?"
