By Edward Chaykovsky
According to Manny Pacquiao’s longtime head trainer Freddie Roach, the Filipino star is fiercer than ever in training camp.
He expects Pacquiao to go for the kill when he faces World Boxing Organization (WBO) world welterweight champion Jessie Vargas on November 5 at the Thomas & Mack Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The 37-year-old Pacquiao (58-6-2, 38 knockouts) returned after his April win over Timothy Bradley. Not long after winning a senate seat in the Philippines the following month, Pacquiao revealed his comeback intentions.
Vargas (27-1, 10 KOs) captured the title in March with a knockout of previously undefeated Olympian Sadam Ali, but Roach is not worried about his punching power.
“Vargas is a tough guy, a two-time world champion and pretty durable. The only problem is he doesn’t have a big punch and doesn’t have that punch. He is not a big puncher,” Roach told The Manila Times.
Roach says Pacquiao is being explosive in the gym and hurting him while working the mitts and practicing combinations to the body. Pacquiao scored two knockdowns of Bradley in April, and the Hall of Fame trainer says the boxer is going to be even meaner next month.
Roach predicts a knockout victory for Pacquiao in the later rounds. The majority of the training camp was held in the Philippines to avoid any issues with the fighter's senatorial duties. The entire team arrived in Los Angeles on Friday.
“He’s doing a lot better and explosive and we’re going to see a different Manny Pacquiao on November. In fact, he really hurts me during our mitts session as he almost ripped my body armor. Those shots were really hard,” Roach said.
“He’s getting near 100 percent. He’s now at least 90 percent ready. He did pretty well in sparring at eight rounds and 10 rounds at the mitts. Manny is improving everyday and that is what training camp is all about.”
