ROACH: PACQUIAO TRAINED TO WIN BIG
By Eddie Alinea
PhilBoxing.com
Fri, 08 Apr 2016
LAS VEGAS -- Whether or not Manny Pacquiao's coming fight against Timothy Bradley this Saturday (Sunday in Manila) will be his last, Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach believes his favorite pupil has been trained to win ... and win big.
"We've never talked about it (retirement), to be honest with you. Who knows? the 56-year-old Roach told his audience during Thursday's round table discussion with media men covering Pacquiao's third encounter with the American scheduled at the MGM Grand Arena here.
"One thing I can be sure though is, we've prepared Manny as he wished he would, to win .... and win with a bang, " the seven-time trainer of the year assured. "Over the last week, I finally am happy with what he's doing. The last two days of sparring was really good."
"He even dropped one of his sparring partners before we came here. We haven't seen that in a long time. I really like where he's at at this point," Roach said. "He's looking like the Manny Pacquiao of old. One who used to sit down on his punches and fire fast and hard, knocking out the likes of Oscar DeLa Hoya, Marco Antonio Barrera, etc."
Roach reaffirmed his belief that the 37-year-old reigning "Fighter of the Decade" is not yet ready to hang his gloves. "It's hard to retire from boxing. It's a very addictive sport," he explained. "Many tried to retire only to comeback."
"I remember, it happened to me, too. I thought I was done, but I wasn't," he recalled. "If Manny wants to retire, I want him to retire on a win, and that's why we trained him to be in such great shape for this fight."
Does he say his prized pupil of 15 years is leaving the sport they both love?
"No. We've never talked about retirement or anything like that. It doesn't feel like the last fight. I'm not sad yet. If it is the last fight, I'll be a little sad about it. Because we've had a great time together. I couldn't ask him for anything more, though. He's given me everything."
"Manny's a great man, a great fighter. No fighter I've ever seen trains like he does. In all the 15 years we've been together, his work ethic really amazed me." Roach assessed. "Whatever I asked him, he gives. He's very generous, you know."
On the fans' clamour for a knock-out win which the Pacman never had in seven years, Roach stressed, "Yeah, I would like a knock-out, I love knock-outs, but we also have to be satisfied with a decision. Bradley's a tough guy. He's durable and he's very tough. But you have to expect the fight to go 12 rounds. And I want Manny to dominate the 12 rounds."
Roach said the final chapter of the Pacquiao-Bradley trilogy is important to his ward, saying "It's very important, I think. He's running for senator back home. Besides, I always want my fighters to go out a winner. It doesn't happen too often, but it's a great thing when they do."
While he doesn't want to quit yet, Roach emphasized he wouldn't influence the soon-to-be senator to stay fighting. "No, I would never do that. If he wants to retire, I have no problem with it. There's nothing more I can ask for him to do."
"We've been together for 15 years. That's rare relationship in boxing, or in life. We have a great relationship. He's been a son to me. A best friend, too, for a long time now. He's been my best fighter. His work ethic is better than anybody's, still, to this day."
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Eddie Alinea.
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