Freddie Roach, head trainer of WBO welterweight Manny Pacquiao, says his boxer needs a knockout in his upcoming fight in order to land a much bigger opportunity in the fall.
Pacquiao, 38-years-old, won eight of his eleven fights from September 2005 to November 2009 by stoppage. But since the fall of 2009, when he stopped Miguel Cotto in the twelfth round, all of his fights have gone the distance.
On July 1 in Brisbane, Pacquiao will defend his title against huge underdog Jeff Horn (16-0-1, 11 KOs), who is a 2012 Australian Olympian.
Even at this late stage, Roach believes Pacquiao is fully capable of securing a knockout victory against Horn.
Pacquiao and Roach are still very motivated to have a rematch with Floyd Mayweather Jr., who won a twelve round decision over the Filipino star in May of 2015.
Roach has made attempts to fuel Pacquiao's desire to secure a knockout by dangling the possibility of a Mayweather rematch. Mayweather retired in September 2015 and appears to have no interest in fighting again - unless it's a cross-sports fight against UFC star Conor McGregor.
“His power is as good as ever. He is showing me that he still has the power. Believe me he does. The other day when he gave me a shot I think he broke my rib. It’s still sore. He has great punching power and still has KO power,” Roach told The Inquirer.
“I’m looking for a knockout too. He has the speed and the power. He lost his killer instinct along the way but I still think he wins this fight by knockout. I believe that Manny needs to really look good in this fight to get Mayweather. To have a big fight, you have to have great performances. I told Manny, ‘If you want Mayweather you really need to look good in this fight’ and I said, ‘We should knock this guy out.' But he knows what’s in front of him and I think the better he does in this fight, the bigger fight he’ll get next.”