Superior hand speed will give Manny Pacquiao a decisive edge over American Floyd Mayweather in their heavily anticipated megafight in Las Vegas next week, says the Filipino southpaw\u2019s trainer Freddie Roach.<\/p>\n
Mayweather will go into the May 2 welterweight showdown as the favorite in his bid to improve on a perfect 47-0 record as a professional, but Roach is confident that underdog Pacquiao will emerge triumphant on points after the 12 scheduled rounds.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know he (Mayweather) is a good fighter but I just think I have the better fighter,\u201d Roach told Reuters before overseeing a shadow boxing session by Pacquiao at his Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood, California.<\/p>\n
\u201cHand speed is going to be a big, big difference in this fight and Manny is much quicker than he is.\u201d<\/p>\n
Roach, who has guided Pacquiao to world championships in eight weight divisions and a 57-5-2 career record with 38 knockouts, said that he had no concerns about the threat posed by 11-time world champion Mayweather.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think he can really hurt Manny so I am not worried about that so much,\u201d smiled the shrewd Roach, a former featherweight and lightweight boxer who ended his own career in the ring at the age of 26 with a decent 41-13 record.<\/p>\n
\u201cMayweather has a good right hand but I don\u2019t think he can knock Manny out with that right hand. I don\u2019t think he can move like he used to because his legs aren\u2019t what they were, and that\u2019s the first thing to go in a fighter.\u201d<\/p>\n
Roach, who has often been remarkably accurate with his pre-fight predictions, expects the May 2 bout to last the full 12 rounds.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s going to start quick,\u201d said the bespectacled trainer who has worked with 31 world champions in his Wild Card gym.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re going to be warmed up and ready to go. \u201cWhat I want Manny to do is outscore him and land combinations, get out of the pocket and make him miss. If we can consistently do that, we will win the fight on a decision. I think it will go the distance.\u201d<\/p>\n
MATCH-UP OF CONTRASTING STYLES <\/strong><\/p>\n Mayweather, 38, is known for his brilliant defense and astute ring management while Pacquiao, 36, is renowned for his aggressive style and lightning-fast speed, setting up an intriguing match-up of contrasting styles.<\/p>\n While many pundits regret that the two fighters are in the twilight of their respective careers and have lost some of their skills, Roach believes that now is the ideal time to stage a long awaited bout that was more than five years in the making.<\/p>\n \u201cEveryone gets older and slows down a little bit but five years ago Floyd would run (around the ring) all night and we would all fall asleep,\u201d said the 55-year-old trainer.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is going to be a much better fight, I feel, because his (Mayweather\u2019s) legs aren\u2019t what they used to be. He has to take breaks and he does rest on the ropes at times.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd if you rest on the ropes with Manny Pacquiao, you will be in a lot of trouble.\u201d Pacquiao\u2019s motivation for the May 2 fight in Vegas could not be any higher, according to Roach.<\/p>\n \u201cManny has really raised the bar in this training camp,\u201d said Roach. \u201cHe\u2019s a different Manny Pacquiao than I have seen going into previous training camps. I\u2019ve never seen him work this hard. \u201cHe\u2019s faster than ever and he\u2019s definitely hitting harder than ever.\u00a0He hit me so hard the other day that I believe it\u2019s the hardest I\u2019ve ever been hit by a fighter who I\u2019m training. I\u2019m really happy where he\u2019s at.\u201d<\/p>\n –<\/p>\n Source: Reuters<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Superior hand speed will give Manny Pacquiao a decisive edge over American Floyd Mayweather in their heavily anticipated megafight in Las Vegas next week, says the Filipino southpaw\u2019s trainer Freddie Roach. Mayweather will go into the May 2 welterweight showdown as the favorite in his bid to improve on a perfect 47-0 record as a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":111146,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[3],"yoast_head":"\n