By Chester Rivers: Forget about WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao’s questionable defense, lunging forward or short reach and height; Manny Pacquiao’s Achilles heel will be his trainer Freddie Freddie Roach. Now I know a couple of you are probably questioning my sanity since Roach is a living Hall of Famer, but give me a few minutes to explain and you’ll probably look at things differently as well.
First mistake Roach could be making is adjusting Manny Pacquiao’s style. Freddie Roach has closed his gym to the public only when Pacquiao is training. Roach’s theory is that he doesn’t want any leaked information about their strategy for this fight. To some that makes sense and I’ll admit it does. What doesn’t make sense is the fact that you’re making adjustments to Pacquiao’s style. Pacquiao has only one speed and that’s fast.
Pacquiao has only one rhythm and that’s constant movement. What can Roach be tinkering with to fine tune Pacquiao? Manny is not a thinker in the ring. Manny fights off impulse and muscle memory. Manny was awarded the Fighter of the Decade by using one style for nearly 15 years. These two have been trainer and boxer longer than any other tandem in boxing now Roach want to make adjustments this late in the game. Old dogs can’t learn new tricks.
Second mistake by Freddie Roach are the inconsistent interviews. In one interview Roach is praising Floyd Mayweather Jr. boxing ability and in other interviews he’s convinced that Mayweather has falling off considerably. What does it say about Pacquiao if you say Mayweather will be the toughest fight of his career and then criticize his abilities. Could this be Roach’s version of mind games? Is he trying to get Mayweather upset by questioning his abilities? If I was in Pacquiao’s camp I would give Mayweather every compliment imaginable in an attempted to get him overly confidant.
This behavior is out of character for Freddie Roach. During their press conference for the media Roach seemed a little shook to me. He was at a loss for words when he addressed the media from the podium. You could hear the nervous energy in both Roach and Pacquiao’s voices. Mayweather Jr. has been on this stage before. Mayweather doesn’t need advice from trainers in the corners to make certain adjustments. Pacquiao is going to need Roach to remain level headed for this fight and it seems Roach is already starting to crack.
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