Freddie Roach: Both my fighters can beat Mayweather

By Boxing News - 09/30/2011 - Comments

Image: Freddie Roach: Both my fighters can beat MayweatherBy John F. McKenna (McJack): Trainer Freddie Roach is in the Philippines prepping World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao (53-3-2, 38 KO’s) for his November 12 showdown with WBO/World Boxing Association (WBA) lightweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez (53-5-1, 39 KO’s).

Freddie took time out from his busy schedule to make some comments to the British magazine Boxing News that are sure to raise the ire of new World Boxing Council (WBC) welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. (42-0, 26 KO’s).

Roach said that he is confident that Filipino icon Manny Pacquiao and rising super star WBA and International Boxing Federation (IBF) light welterweight champion Amir Khan will beat Mayweather if an when they ever fight.

Roach was quoted as saying: “I think Victor had the right idea – to rough him up. That’s why I think he butted him, he was just way too apologetic. I think he should have got on with the fight and maybe, head butted him again because that’s the way to beat Mayweather, to take him out of his game. He frustrated him with that head butt. You could see him complaining and crying, but you can’t be compassionate. This is a physical game. Ortiz got caught up in it and it cost him.”

Roach who looks for weaknesses in potential future opponents of his fighters believes that Mayweather at 34 has begun to slow down and that he fights more flat footed than before.

“He doesn’t move around the ring like he used to, you can see that. There are definitely signs in the last three fights that he’s not as mobile as he used to be. He’s more hittable, but what the Ortiz fight showed me was, because Manny’s a nice guy also that you can’t be nice to this son of a ******** because he will take advantage and land a cheap shot if you let him,” said Roach.

Roach has made no secret of his displeasure in Pacquiao’s “nice guy” approach in his fight with Shane Mosley last May. Roach feels that the constant touching of gloves was unnecessary. Freddie also believes that Manny should have been more aggressive in pursuing a KO against Antonio Margarito in their match in November 2010 and that Pacquiao could have stopped both Mosley and Margarito.

Recently Roach has been making statements to the press stating that he believes Pacquiao will KO Marquez. Freddie may be using psychology in an effort to revive the “Killer Instinct” in Manny.



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