Nostradamus - Interview with Freddie Roach Pt. II (Roach on Pacquiao vs Mayweather and More!)

Nostradamus - Interview with Freddie Roach Pt. II (Roach on Pacquiao vs Mayweather and More!)

Interview by David Tyler, Doghouse Boxing (July 29, 2009) Photo © Chris Farina / Top Rank

This is a continuation of an interview with boxing’s legendary trainer (See link at bottom for Part One), Freddie Roach that took place in the WildCard gym, Hollywood, California, July 23 and 24. Previously, Freddie had predicted the results of upcoming fights and gave us his P4P picks. Not afraid of looking around the corner, Freddie dissects a possible 2010 super mega fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and the P4P champ, Manny Pacquiao.

David T. - Fred you have already predicted that Floyd Mayweather Jr. and your Ninja, Manny Pacquiao would win their next fights. Would you like to discuss a possible Mayweather/ Pacquiao super-mega fight?

Freddie Roach – Dave, everywhere I go that’s all that I am asked, when will Manny fight Mayweather?

DT – Kayo?

FR – Easily. He presents no problem for Manny. He is too small and fragile for Manny. He doesn’t have the skills to hurt my fighter. Manny will break him apart before he knocks him out.

DT – What exactly do you mean by “break him apart.”

FR – The key to beating Mayweather is literally beat him up. You take what you can get. He is elusive but he can’t move his body. He is very quick with head movement. You break his body down, he has bad hands, bad ribs, bad knee and he’s had rotator cuff surgery. This is not a guess it’s the facts, period.

DT – He has won all of his fights and maybe the best two wins were against Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton…..

FR – Dave, hold it there for a moment. I question that ….I think below 140 lbs. he was great and anything above that has been problems. Let’s face it, the De La Hoya fight was at least a draw. Mayweather looked very sluggish. Same with Hatton at 147 lbs. After six rounds Ricky was ahead and then Mayweather took over and won the fight.

DT – The point being?

FR – Look what Manny did to both De La Hoya and Hatton. His victories looked very easy. Mayweather struggled and Manny blitzed through both opponents. You can’t say either fighter was over the hill or a shot fighter. These were the same two opponents that gave Mayweather fits especially early in the fight. Marquez is a very clever opponent that will give Mayweather a tussle. Even though I pick Mayweather to win the fight, it would not surprise me if Marquez won. After all, Mayweather has been off for two years.

DT – So Manny will apply pressure and never let up?

FR – Now you’re beginning to see what will happen in the fight. That’s exactly why Mayweather will be, an easier opponent than Cotto or Mosley or even Marquez. Manny will be applying pressure from the beginning and never let up. He will use both hands and he is certainly the faster fighter. The difference will come in the middle of the fight. Manny is continuing to throw shots from all angles and Mayweather will feel the Kayo.

DT – How did you turn Manny into the best fighter in the sport today?

FR – With a ton of hard work. He now has lots of confidence and by that I mean he is not afraid to stand “toe to toe” without backing out of an exchange. Hard to believe but he now hits just as hard with the right hand as he does with his left hand.

DT – Any weaknesses on Manny’s part?

FR – Not really. He used to rely solely on the left but he will not revert back to his old habits.

DT – If you were Mayweather’s trainer, what advice would you give Floyd against Pacman?

FR – Don’t take this fight! Even though this is the fight that all boxing fans want to see, it would not surprise me to see Mayweather fight Mosley instead of Manny. Why fight a guy you can’t possibly beat?

DT – Anything else?

FR – Manny will be here next week. We can talk then. I would like to say one more thing about the “Pay for View” fights.

DT- Go ahead.

FR – I would like to thank all the fans who support boxing by paying their hard earned cash to purchase these fights. We are all aware that we live in tough economic times and boxing is just one of many venues out there vying for the fans to spend money. Also, I and the crew at WildCard have received a lot of positive feedback from the fans. I would like to thank them for their kind words of support.

Thank you Freddie for giving us such an insightful interview. Good luck with Manny and Amir in their upcoming fights.

Why is Freddie Roach not in the International Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota, NY? (Please e-mail me your thoughts! - E-mail link below.)

Part One: The Nostradamus of Boxing? - Interview with Freddie Roach (Plus Roach's Top 10 Pound for Pound)

Please send all coments, questions and feedback to David Tyler
E-mail David now at: dtyler53@cox.net

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