Esteemed trainer and former world champion Robert Garcia has revealed who he believes is the “fresher man” between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao.
The two pound-for-pound icons are set to enter a professional rematch on September 19, headlining a Netflix event at The Sphere, Las Vegas.
Their first encounter, which took place over a decade ago, saw Mayweather claim a comprehensive points victory, before taking his record to 50-0 with a 10th-round finish over Conor McGregor in 2017.
Pacquiao, however, has fought as recently as July 2025, boxing to a contentious draw against then-WBC world welterweight champion Mario Barrios.
This saw him end a near four-year layoff, which followed his points defeat to Yordenis Ugas, while Mayweather has not fought professionally since defeating McGregor.
Instead, the 49-year-old has been involved in several exhibition matches, a trend he is expected to resume with Mike Tyson and Greek kickboxer Mike Zambidis.
Whether these two non-competitive affairs actually materialise, it remains to be seen, but Mayweather has nonetheless agreed to face Pacquiao in September.
Speaking with BoxingScene, top coach Garcia has opined that, while being the marginally younger man, Pacquiao is perhaps approaching their rematch with more miles on the clock.
“Manny takes training camps very [seriously]. We see him running in the mountains, and running around so many fans and boxers.
“He doesn’t want to be the last one [to finish], so he’s running hard. At 47 [years old], that’s not easy. But he wants to prove to everybody that he’s still a great athlete.
“When it comes to sparring, I guarantee you he’s sparring hard. Whoever they bring in for sparring wants to look good against Manny.
“On the other side, Mayweather is doing this without even showing it to the world. I guarantee you he’s staying in shape… and I think he’ll be the fresher man.”
Initially, it was reported that Mayweather-Pacquiao 2 would be a professional bout, only for Mayweather to later claim that it would instead be an exhibition.
Since then, though, Pacquiao has insisted it will be a fully-sanctioned contest, presenting him with the opportunity to exact his revenge.
