Pacquiao trumps Roach’s doubts about managing boxing and politics
Freddie Roach admits that Manny Pacquiao’s increasing political interest originally seemed to mark the end of his boxing career. He’s willing to recant the thought now.
After seeing Pacquiao hit the gloves for a few rounds at the Elorde Boxing Gym in preparation for his bout with Antonio Margarito, Roach put his doubts to rest.
“The work ethic is still there,” Roach confirmed. “Congress hasn’t taken that away. I feel his power, his intensity and he already knows the game plan to win this fight.”
Pacquiao, a seven-division titlist and a Philippine congressman, is training for a November 13 bout with Mexican Antonio Margarito. While official training camp starts Monday in the mountains of Baguio City, team Pacquiao has been pre-training in Quezon
City the last few days as ‘Pacman’ wraps up political duties.
Roach, ever confident about his fighting stable, believes Pacquiao will knock his opponent out inside of eight rounds.
“I don’t want to kill the fight by saying we’re going to blow him away, but we’re going to blow him away,” Roach said. “I will bet and tell it to him that he’ll quit. The only way that he won’t quit is once he gets knocked out.”
Margarito has never been knocked out per se. He’s been stopped once—by “Sugar” Shane Mosley—back in a January 2009 bout.
Roach hopes to use Pacquiao’s superior footwork and speed to stay out of danger and beat Margarito to the punch. As well, he’s enlisted the services of some of boxing’s best prospects for sparring—Johnny Tapia, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., and Vanes Martirosyan.
The fighters were chosen in part due to their height advantage over Pacquiao, a tactic to prepare Manny for the taller Margarito.
Roach has been training Pacquiao since 2001 and has vastly added to the skill set of the fighter. Whereas Pacquiao was once primarily a brawler, Roach has molded him into a premier boxer that ranks no less than No.1 pound-for-pound in the world.
“I’m not losing any sleep over Margarito,” Roach insisted.
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