Manny Pacquiao is nine days away from facing undefeated American fighter Keith Thurman in a highly-anticipated titular clash for the WBA undisputed welterweight belt on July 20 at MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas, Nevada.
After going through perhaps the most brutal training camp since facing Floyd Mayweather in 2015, Pacquiao has gradually toned down his activity in the past few days, trying to stay healthy and injury-free as fight night draws near.
On Wednesday, Pacquiao’s camp held a media day at the Wildcard Gym in Los Angeles, California, where dozens of reporters from around the world watched in awe of the 40-year-old Pacman doing his work in training.
Pacman still in top shape
As usual, Freddie Roach was there to answer questions regarding the progress of Pacquiao’s training camp heading to the fight.
Roach, who has been Pacquiao’s chief trainer since his bantamweight days in the late 2000s, talked to Marcos Villegas of FightHub.com as he provides an update on Pacman’s conditioning and also gives his take on Thurman’s marquee wins against Danny Garcia and Shawn Porter.
“We do have an agreement. I told him once I see signs of you declining, once I see signs you are getting old, I said I’m gonna tell you to retire and you will retire. And we do have an agreement… and he has not lost a step yet. He is very very quick, I mean he’s still a good fighter.
I know he’s 40-year-old but 40 is just a number…,” Roach said of his ward’s amazing form this late in his career in the interview with Villegas.
“How many years [Shawn] Porter had been our sparring partner? Like 10 years..? I mean that’s the best guy he’s fought? I’m worried about a guy that can’t even beat our sparring partner?
Give me a break,” Roach said of Thurman's win over Porter in the video."
The Game plan
When asked, what will be their strategy against Thurman on fight night, Roach was a bit reserve in predicting a KO win for Pacquiao. Still, he remains confident that his fighter has all the tools to bag the win on July 20.
“I’m really hoping for a stoppage,” Roach told FightHub.
“We haven’t had one for a long time, I know that, yes. But Manny, if he fights the right fight, that’s exactly what I wanted him to do. I mean he has never had a knockout at 147. He’s not a huge puncher in 147, I know that. So, we don’t really go to this fight looking for a knockout at all. We go in there and win every round one at a time.
Pacquiao, who holds a record of 61-7-2, last recorded a knockout win against Argentine Lucas Matthysse (7th round stoppage) to wrest the WBA (regular) welterweight title in 2018 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The other KO win for Pacquiao as a welterweight happened roughly 10 years ago when he stopped Miguel Cotto in the 11th round of their WBO welterweight clash in November 2009.
