BoxingScene.com recently reported that WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao was struggling in training camp, according to the Filipino superstar's trainer Freddie Roach.
Pacquiao defends his World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight championship against 2012 Australian Olympian Jeff Horn (16-0-1, 12 KOs). The fight takes place on July 1 in Brisbane [July 2 in Australia], with over 50,000 fans expected at the Suncorp Stadium.
Horn, who has Ali Funeka and Randall Bailey as his best wins, is a massive underdog in the fight and even his countrymen are picking against him. The only advantage Horn has on his side is youth at 29 years of age, and Pacquiao is nearing the age of 40 - but he still looked like an elite fighter in his last outing when he easily defeated Jessie Vargas last November for the WBO belt.
Roach was very disappointed after arriving to the Philippines on Sunday and observing Pacquiao's training at the Elorde Gym in Five Ecomm. Building.
The Hall of Fame trainer appeared to be frustrated and now has reservations about a knockout prediction for Pacquiao's next fight. Pacquiao has not scored a knockout win in eight years, since stopping Miguel Cotto in November of 2009. Based on Pacquiao's training, Roach actually retracted his knockout prediction.
“We are far behind. Those five rounds of sparring were the worst I have seen him spar,” said Roach to the Manila Times. “Overall, the second day of sparring was not great I didn’t expect him to be good. But I think he’s getting there."
“Manny has not done any knockout for a long time. He got to show here in the sparring that he wants to knock him down. So I don’t know, I cannot predict that anymore."
After hearing the news about Pacquiao (59-6-2, 38 KOs), Horn got a big smile on his face - because he claims to be in the best shape of his entire career. The Australian boxer believes Pacquiao has always underestimated him and says the recent news from the Philippines confirms this.
“I’m hearing all the reports that Pacquiao looks terrible sparring and that’s great,” Horn said to Fox Sports. “All along I think he has been underestimating me. His mates would have been telling him for weeks that I’m not in the class of the guys he’s beaten and I hope they keep telling him that.
“He probably thinks he’s coming to Brisbane to make an easy $10 million but he’s in for a shock.”