Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach, who worked with Manny Pacquiao (59-7-2, 38 KOs) for 16 years, is worried about his boxer's health in this weekend's fight.
Pacquiao, who turns 40-years-old later this year, will challenge Argentina’s Lucas Mathhysse (39-4, 36 KOs) for the WBA "regular" welterweight title - which the hard puncher won back in January with an eight round knockout of Thailand's Tewa Kiram.
The former eight division champion will snap a one-year layoff when he steps in the ring with Matthysse.
Pacquiao has been inactive since losing a twelve round unanimous decision to Jeff Horn in a shocking upset in July 2017 in Brisbane, Australia.
Several months ago, Pacquiao parted ways with Roach. He would promote assistant coach and best friend Buboy Fernandez to the position of head trainer.
According to Roach, Pacquiao is still suffering from the same shoulder injury that he sustained in the weeks leading up to the 2015 mega-fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Although Pacquiao had surgery in the aftermath of his loss to Mayweather, the Filipino superstar never followed his doctor's order to properly rehab the shoulder.
Instead, Pacquiao would pray and use ocean water as his preferred healing methods.
Because of his unorthodox methods, Roach says the shoulder never properly healed - and now the superstar fighter is up against a dangerous opponent with punching power in both hands.
“I think — and hope — that Manny wins,” Roach said to the Los Angeles Times. “But Manny has a bad shoulder. The rehab on that shoulder was done by praying and swimming in the ocean.
“The ocean has healing properties, so I liked the ocean more than the praying, but when you’re telling [Pacquiao surgeon Neal] El-Attrache that the rehab is sea water and praying, he would frown. So, to me, that shoulder is still a dangerous thing, when you’re conditioning by putting pressure on the upper body.”
