By Edward Chaykovsky
According to Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach, WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao has promised to get him a knockout victory on May 2nd, when the Filipino superstar faces WBC/WBA welterweight king Floyd Mayweather Jr. at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Pacquiao (57-5-2, 38 KOs) wants Roach to gain his eight "Trainer of The Year" title. Roach will gain his seventh later today at the BWAA Awards in New York City. Pacquiao has not scored a knockout victory since 2009, when he stopped Miguel Cotto in the twelfth round.
Mayweather has been hurt in the past, but usually recovered very quickly and never came close to being stopped.
“What would be most special is No. 8, and Manny says, ‘You’ll win that next year, because I’m going to knock Mayweather out,’” Roach said to the LA Times. “I’ve never heard Manny be so bold. I was really happy he said that to me.”
“I like where my fighter is right now. He’s in the perfect condition to fight this guy. He’s faster than ever, punching harder than ever. So explosive right now. Ever since this fight was announced, he’s at a different level. He’s trained very hard. I’ve never seen him better.”
