MANILA, Philippines – Manny Pacquiao’s camp has ignored reports that Floyd Mayweather Jr. got knocked out during a sparring session.
In an email to Philstar.com, Pacquiao’s publicist Fred Sternburg said the Filipino icon won’t comment on the issue and would rather focus on training for his May 2 showdown with Mayweather.
A report by sports website allsports.com.gh claimed that Mayweather was floored by sparring partner Zab Judah in a session. According to an unidentified source, Judah decked the undefeated American with a body shot.
But Pacquiao, according to Sternburg, doesn’t care about it.
“Manny has no comment on the rumor nor does the team has any interest in Floyd's camp,” Sternburg wrote to Philstar.com.
For his part, Pacquiao’s chief trainer Freddie Roach is convinced that Mayweather isn’t invincible, saying the fighting congressman is preparing well to score a knockout victory in what’s billed as boxing’s richest fight.
"I do believe Floyd can be knocked down by Manny and we are training to knock him out," said Roach.
Meanwhile, amid reports of Mayweather going down in sparring, a video surfaced on YouTube showing the Las Vegas-based boxer pummeling a sparring partner.
But Roach is confident that Pacquiao can handle Mayweather and hand him the first loss of his career.
"Manny has been on fire in this training camp. He is still the fastest fighter in the game today and on May 2 he is also going to prove that he is boxing's No. 1 pound-per-pound world champion," the multi-titled trainer said.