Trainer Freddie Roach has revealed that he wants a more aggressive and meaner Manny Pacquiao to enter the ring on May 2 to take on Floyd Mayweather.
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Roach is concerned that the 36-year-old doesn’t perhaps have the spitefulness in his approach any more, as the Filipino hasn’t knocked out any of his opponents since a TKO win over Miguel Cotto back in 2009.
With the biggest fight in boxing history on the horizon on May 2 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas against Mayweather, Roach wants to see that ruthlessness return and he believes he is seeing it in training camp as Pacquiao started sparring on Tuesday.
It is widely expected that Pacquiao will look to take the front-foot in the fight, pressure Mayweather throughout and look to get off a high volume of punches. Meanwhile, while neither fighter nor trainer have promised a knockout, they will undoubtedly want one if the opportunity presents itself.
“It’s the biggest day of my life. Manny has to fight the best fight of his life to win, and that won’t be easy,” Roach told New York Magazine, according to Boxing Scene.
“I want to get him meaner and more aggressive because he’s going to need it in this fight. He tells me, ‘Let’s just fight and let God decide who wins’. I said, ‘Manny, God doesn’t give a f*** who wins. He’s got bigger things to do.”
Pacquiao sparred with two different fighters at the Wild Card Gym on Tuesday, and with just over six weeks to go until fight night both fighters will look to step up their training schedules in the coming weeks after their initial strength and conditioning work.
Roach added that he was impressed with Pac-Man’s performance in the gym while the man himself insisted that he was happy with his speed and stamina. However, the brash talk from his trainer continued as he claimed that May 2 “will be celebrated for years to come as St Manny’s Day – the day he drove Mayweather out of boxing”, Sky Sports reported.
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