The Pacquiao camp are gearing up for their upcoming bout on June 9 against Timothy Bradley, and took time out of their schedule to express their thoughts on the Mayweather vs Cotto fight, with Freddie Roach having some very interesting things to say.
Manny Pacquiao remaining very diplomatic on the subject:
· “I saw the Mayweather-Cotto fight. It was a good fight and everyone [fans] was happy.”
Regarding Mayweather’s rumoured plans to retire Pacquiao seemed uninterested and indicated his current position:
“I have no opinion on Mayweather’s plans to retire. That’s his decision. A very personal decision, I’m glad to be back at Freddie’s gym. I have no plans to retire. I still love what I’m doing”
Freddie Roach was a little bit more outspoken on the subject, which is usually the case, with a little jibe at Mayweather:
· We are on a steady pace to get Manny to where he will peak on June 9. We built a good base to build on in our training in the Philippines. Now it’s time for the hard work and the strategy,We had a good session today. Manny went a strong 10 rounds with me today on the mitts. He’ll sleep good tonight. I did not see the Mayweather-Cotto fight but I do know that Floyd’s slippery defense is now better outside the ring than inside the ring. But that is the path he has chosen”
And with that being said Freddie is so confident it seems a little arrogance is creeping into his thoughts regarding the possibility of getting Mayweather in the ring:
“Would Manny beat Floyd? You bet. The way to beat Floyd is to outwork him every minute of every round. Manny is the only fighter capable of executing that game plan. Activity kills Mayweather.You need to stay busy against him and not let him dictate the pace by slowing down the fight. Southpaws are his other weakness. Manny is just a bad combination for Floyd to fight. If it would bring Floyd into the ring, I’d agree to have Manny fight him right handed”
That is a bold statement considering Pacquiao with both hands got outboxed, and given severe problems by a poor man’s version of Mayweather in the older, slower Juan Manuel Marquez. It is no coincidence that Roach would make these bold remarks after seeing Mayweather get tagged a few times, opening the door for the Pacquiao camp to chase the fight even harder with the belief that Pacquiao has a chance. Was it a plan all along to wait until Mayweather gets older and is not as elusive, my guess is yes, but a man of Freddie Roach’s experience, should realise that Mayweather fought Cotto’s game and his approach against Pacquiao would be totally different.
I really think Roach should check the stats before he makes such ludicrous comments regarding Mayweather’s defence. Yes landed 105 punches in the fight, but considering a drained Cotto landed 172 against Pacquiao in shorter time, Marquez landing 138 and Margarito landing 229 and most shocking of all Joshua Clottey landed 108 punches and he was in survival mode from the moment he left the dressing room. It may be better for Roach to concentrate on improving his fighter’s defence before criticising the best defensive fighter in the sport,
The Pacquiao vs. Bradley welterweight championship collision will take place Saturday, June 9, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, in Las Vegas, Nev., and will be produced and distributed Live by HBO Pay-Per-View®, beginning at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.
Promoted by Top Rank, in association with MP Promotions, Tecate, AT&T and MGM Grand, remaining tickets to Pacquiao vs. Bradley are priced at $1,200, $900, $600, $400, and $200. Ticket sales at $1,200, $900, $600 and $400 are limited to 10 per person and ticket sales at $200 are limited to two (2) per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster (800) 745-3000 . Tickets also will be available for purchase atwww.mgmgrand.comorwww.ticketmaster.com.
Source: fighthype.com
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