Roach looks forward to Pacquiao-Floyd in March

After initially expressing reluctance over the proposed date, trainer Freddie Roach now looks forward to the anticipated superfight between his prized ward Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather, Jr. on March 13. Roach, who earlier said a March fight would be too soon in the wake of Pacquiao’s 12th-round TKO of tough Miguel Cotto, on Saturday readily supported the Pacman’s decision to accept the proposed gig set in four month’s time.

"We talked to (promoter Bob) Arum and he had the March date and May 1 available and Manny chose the earlier date because of the elections in the Philippines, and I can't wait to get started," Roach told Sky Sports News in London. Seven-division champion and congressional candidate Pacquiao on Friday confirmed to GMA Network’s 24 Oras that he’s agreeing to the fight proposal presented to him by his promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank. The said proposal was earlier given the thumbs up by Richard Schaefer of Golden Boy Promotions and Mayweather’s representatives. “I’m okay with March 13 (as fight date). Bob (Arum) is just finalizing the details," Pacquiao told 24 Oras’ Chino Trinidad in Filipino. The date is among the many concerns in the negotiations for the much-anticipated showdown as Pacquiao is running for a congressional seat in the Philippines' elections in May 2010. Roach’s earlier reservation for a March fight also had something to do with Pacquiao’s physical condition, having suffered bruises and an injured ear from his duel with Cotto last Nov. 14. But according to Pacquiao’s adviser Michael Koncz, the Filipino ring superstar saw no 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 that's plenty of time to rest and recover, then you know, he has to do what he feels is right," Koncz said in a separate interview with the Associated Press. Tough fight With Pacquiao’s nod, Roach is now raring to lay out the fight plan for the super bout. "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 a fight Manny wants," the multi-awarded trainer said, baring plans to use Amir Khan as chief sparmate for the camp. Arum is already on his way back to the US to resume talks with the Mayweather camp and iron out remaining kinks. Both Roach and Koncz expressed belief all the remaining issues will be settled. "There’re always negotiations, like he (Mayweather) wants 10-oz gloves we want 8-oz gloves, stuff like that, the weight he wants is 154-lbs, we want 147-lbs, so there's some issues but I think it can be solved," Roach said. Koncz said Pacquiao brought up some additional requests that Arum would have to bring in to the negotiating table but he said it wouldn't be a problem. "The requests of Manny were so realistic that Arum doesn't feel it's a problem and it's pretty much a done deal," Koncz said. There was no mention yet of the purse split, an item thought to be a major issue as both superstars are insisting on getting the lion’s share of the projected multi-million dollar card. But it appears both Mayweather and Pacquiao are amenable to the initial terms worked out by Arum and Schaefer. – GMANews.TV, with reports from AP