KEY POINTS

  • Freddie Roach provides a fresh update on Manny Pacquiao’s preparation for the Errol Spence Jr. fight
  • Roach suggests that Pacquiao still has a couple of fights left in him after Spence
  • The legendary trainer senses that something “special” has been fueling the “Pac-Man”

Freddie Roach is confident Manny Pacquiao can take out Errol Spence Jr., but he is also well aware of how long his pupil can really last.

Pacquiao is challenging the odds once again as he faces another younger opponent in Spence.

Roach, meanwhile, is still enamored of the Filipino boxer’s work ethic regardless of who is on the other side of the ring.

However, he isn’t blinded by the fact the end could be near.

"Beating [Errol] Spence would be a big thing for Manny, who is well-liked in his country,” Roach recently told Boxing Scene. “He wants to be president and beating Spence would help him with that. I think Manny has two fights left.”

“I would like to see him defend his title when he becomes president of the Philippines,” he continued.

Further weighing in on the Spence fight, Roach reckoned that Pacquiao did the right thing in picking a “top” fighter in the welterweight division.

While the legendary boxing trainer doesn’t have any doubt about Pacquiao’s arsenal coming into the fight, he is still expecting a tough battle for the world’s only eight-division titlist.

"[Pacquiao’s] work ethic is amazing,” the coach stressed. “He trains hard every day. He knows what he's best at, he plays a lot of basketball. He is proud to have chosen Errol Spence as his opponent. He always told me he wanted to face the best. This time he chose the right guy.”

"Spence is a tough guy,” he added. “It will be a very tactical fight, we have to be very smart, but we have done some great sparring sessions. Manny is in tremendous shape. We still have about four weeks left for the fight. I want the fight to be now. They're the top two in the division.”

Manny Pacquiao's comeback fight is a chance to prove his mettle at 42 -- an age when most boxers have already hung up their gloves -- and score a lucrative payday before a widely expected tilt at the presidency next year
Manny Pacquiao's comeback fight is a chance to prove his mettle at 42 -- an age when most boxers have already hung up their gloves -- and score a lucrative payday before a widely expected tilt at the presidency next year AFP / TED ALJIBE

The Pacquiao-Roach tandem has a plethora of world titles from different weight classes across their names.

Hence, Roach acknowledges the fact that the “Pac-Man” has nothing to prove at this stage of his career.

However, the sudden changes in Pacquiao’s training routines have got Roach and the entire team discerning that the Spence fight has a “special meaning” for the 42-year-old.

“Manny has achieved so much in his boxing career and in his life,” Roach said earlier this month. “But everyone in camp can sense this fight has a special meaning. It is not just about beating a top pound-for-pound fighter or winning more titles. This time it's all about boxing immortality for Manny Pacquiao.”

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