By Ronnie Nathanielsz
Celebrated trainer Freddie Roach is playing the numbers game regarding who will knockout who in the showdown between Roach’s prized possession Manny Pacquiao and Britain’s Ricky “The Hitman” Hatton in Las Vegas on May 2.
Roach who arrived in Los Angeles on Sunday night from London where he steered promising lightweight Amir Khan to a bloody fifth round technical decision win over ageing Mexican legend Marco Antonio Barrera was obviously peeved over Hatton’s claim he would knock Pacquiao out in six rounds.
After answering with an expletive, Roach said “we’re going to knock him out in three.”
He said Khan would return to the Wild Card Gym in a couple of weeks to help Pacquiao prepare for Hatton by being one of his sparring partners. Khan sparred with Pacquiao during the Filipino southpaw’s preparation for his clash with Oscar De La Hoya last December 6 and has said he would “love to help him (Pacquiao) because he’s a good friend . He helps me out with some good advice and its good to have someone to look up to.”
Roach said Pacquiao did 15 rounds on the punch-mitts on Monday and was “doing really well” while he (Roach) was tired.
He said “its time to get focused” adding that Pacquiao will start sparring on Tuesday (LA Time) and will go four rounds with a fighter whom he described as “a tough 147 pound Armenian who is a strong kid.”
Roach’s elder brother Pepper Roach said the “Battle of the East and West” will be “a hard fight for Manny because Hatton will come to fight. But our guy is going to win.”
Rashad Holloway who was the main sparring partner of Pacquiao for the Oscar De La Hoya clash last December 6 said that Pacquiao had too much speed for Hatton whose defense was suspect and predicted.
