By Rameez Haider: After Manny Pacquiao’s brutal defeat at the hands of Juan Manuel Marquez last night, the jury is out. The same debate has raged over Mayweather and Pacquiao, and the new debate over how Marquez was so strong has begun.
I’ve always been a Mayweather fan and I have always maintained for many a year that if the super fight between Mayweather and Pacquaio was to ever happen, Mayweather would be the victor. However, I am also a true boxing fan, which means I am also a Pacquiao fan as he has been fantastic for the sport. The way in which Pacquiao has dispatched of the likes of Hatton, De La Hoya, Cotto, Morales etc has without doubt sealed his place in the hall of fame. Last night he was simply beaten by a fellow legend in Marquez, a true warrior, but the question I ask is whether Freddie Roach really is as good a people claim?
Freddie Roach is a great trainer in many ways but overall, I do not agree with the pundits who make him out to be the greatest coach today. In Pacquiao, he has a warrior who had devastating hand speed and power. Going forward he can at times be unstoppable but any true fan can see the glaring errors. How Pacquaio spent the middle rounds of fights on the ropes constantly getting caught and how Pacquiao has been so easy to hit throughout his career. The fact is though Roach makes excellent offensive fighters, but defensively he is left wanting and never has a plan B or C.
The most clear of examples of this is Amir Khan. Offensively Khan is exceptional, and whilst he had Roach as his trainer, there has not been a single fight where Khan has not shown his class moving forward, whether it was the 2 rounds against Danny Garcia, or even the crisp sharp bursts against Lamont Peterson. However, his defensive inabilities were there to see. Khan can’t cope with any boxer who can cut the ring off, can’t fight on the inside, can’t fight off the ropes and leaves his chin out constantly to be caught.
Granted, Khan is not on the same level as Pacquiao but in his last few fights, Pacquaio has been caught on the ropes, has been easy to hit, and even the most hardened of Pacman fans have to admit, he has not been anywhere near as affective as hat he once was.
The reason for this is, unlike Mayweather, Pacquiao has been in true wars, and this has taken its toll on the 34 year old. But has he adapted around this? Has he changed his strategy to counter his diminishing footwork? The answer is no and this is for me down to the fact that Roach has no plan B. He never had one for Khan nor has he had one for Pacquiao.
This is the reason why I believe Mayweather would beat Pacquiao as he has the ability to adapt in the ring to different circumstances, just like against De La Hoya where for 6 rounds Mayweather had to soak up a lot of pressure, but found the way to win. Roach for all his fantastic work, he simply does not have the defensive knowledge to be able to adapt in a fight.
Roach claimed that Khan never listened and always went in for a tear up when he should box, which is also what Pacquiao did after he got knocked down in the 3rd last night, but surely this is Roach’s job to ensure his fighters follow the instructions. Yet in any fight with Roach in the corner, whenever there is trouble for his fighter, there never seems to be the kind of calmness in the corner which a trainer with a plan B or C would have. Roach has always maintained that speed kills, but has failed to realize that speed alone does not prevail.
Freddie Roach has been a fantastic advocate for the sport, but until he can master these glaring flaws in his fighters, which are subsequently down to him, then unfortunately he will never be as good as people have claimed he is.
Comments are closed.