INQUIRER Sports

MANILA, Philippines?Freddie Roach, the American trainer who guided Manny Pacquiao?s ascent to boxing?s pantheon, believes that his now-iconic ward may yet step into the ring against undefeated superstar Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Roach said that a compromise could be reached by both squads regarding drug-testing protocols and that compromise could include Pacquiao dropping his libel suit against Team Mayweather.

?I?m sure there?s going to be a tradeoff between Manny dropping the lawsuit and (Mayweather) dropping the (demand for Olympic-style) drug test,? Roach told ESPN?s Jim Rome.

The bout between boxing?s biggest names was shelved when Mayweather demanded strict blood testing. He alleged that Pacquiao cut through weight lines with the help of performance-enhancing drugs to make history.

That allegation is also the heart of Pacquiao?s lawsuit against the Mayweathers.

But Roach feels that the fight, which could fetch both fighters at least $40 million each in guaranteed purses and pay-per-view shares, is still going to get made, especially if Mayweather survives his testy May 1 bout against fellow American Shane Mosley.

?I believe [it will happen],? Roach said. ?The thing is, Mayweather is a good fighter and I just believe he came up with these [testing demands] because he wasn?t ready for Pacquiao yet. He only had one fight in two years and I think he needed more time.

?He?s got another fight coming up, of course, and after that all of the rust will be gone if he beats Mosley. Then he will be sharp and ready for a guy like Pacquiao.?

Roach continues to vouch for Pacquiao?s credibility, saying his ward had never flunked a test by athletic commissions before.

?We have tested ... after every fight,? he said. ?If we were on steroids we wouldn?t pass. It?s not like there isn?t testing and it?s not like they just test you some times. If you are in a title fight they test you every time and the commission has been doing that for a long time.?

Roach said the only reason that the Filipino superstar refuses to have blood drawn in the days leading up to the fight is because he feels it weakens him. Pacquiao blames his only loss in a trilogy against Mexican legend Erik Morales on being required to submit blood a day before the fight.