Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach couldn’t be more pleased with Manny Pacquiao’s performance as the Filipino continued his preparations for the “fight of the century” against undefeated fighter Floyd Mayweather Jr. on May 2. Pacquiao sparred for the first time and did five rounds with two sparring partners on March 17 at Roach’s Wild Card gym in Los Angeles. According to Roach, the Filipino boxing icon looked like he had never been away from the boxing ring.

“I’m very happy with what he showed me, you couldn’t tell he had been away from the ring since the Algieri fight in November - Manny is on fire in the gym,” Roach told Philboxing.com. “I am confident May 2 will be celebrated for years to come as St. Manny’s Day - the day he drove Mayweather out of boxing.”

Roach said he was impressed when Pacquiao sparred with Finnish light welterweight Edis Tatli for two rounds before taking on Chicago junior welterweight prospect Kenneth Sims Jr., whose style is reportedly similar to that of Mayweather’s. The 55-year-old boxing guru even joked that it felt like it was St. Patrick’s Day when Pacquiao threw his first punches.

Pacquiao was also happy with his form after being away from the ring for more than two months following his victory over previously undefeated Chris Algieri in Macau last year. Pacquiao, who also completed light training workouts in his native Philippines prior to his training camp in Los Angeles, said that his sparring partners gave him “good footwork” as well as kick up the level of strategic plan that they have concocted against Mayweather.

Pacquiao has utilised the social media to keep his fans and followers updated with his training camp, but has not posted since March 14. Pacquiao’s posts consist of his routine morning jog around Pan Pacific Park as well as videos of the Filipino hitting the heavy bag.

Mayweather, on the other hand, has released a teaser video of how he is shaping up for the fight on Facebook on March 16 with the caption that says “Hard Work and Dedication #TBE #MayPac #May2.” The video displays a message telling the viewers that “On May 2, the world will be watching” the biggest event in the history of boxing.

The much-anticipated welterweight unification fight between Pacquiao and Mayweather will take place on May 2 at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. In addition to the huge purse, the winner will receive an emerald-studded belt worth $1 million in their legacy-defining match on Cinco de Mayo weekend.

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