Manny Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather Jr. FILE PHOTOS
What will it take Manny Pacquiao to beat Floyd Mayweather?
Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach thinks Pacquiao needs “to fight the perfect fight to win,” if ever their projected blockbuster bout pushes through next year.
That, of course, was an ambiguous statement.
While Pacquiao may have the skills and power to finally hand Mayweather his first loss in 47 bouts, Roach knows that the eight-division world champion must go the extra-mile to dispose of his pound-for-pound rival.
“He (Mayweather) is a challenge. I have a great fighter, but we have to fight the perfect fight to win. I know that,” Roach told fightsaga.com.
“We have to do certain things to win… we have to be a little bit meaner and a bit more feisty.”
And there lies the problem.
The fiery, feisty Pacquiao, of old, is virtually gone, especially after that shocking sixth-round knockout he suffered against Mexican nemesis Juan Manuel Marquez in 2012.
While Pacquiao still pursues a running prey, he does it with caution now.
Though Pacquiao claims that the fire in his eyes is back, fight pundits see otherwise.
Pacquiao is no longer the mercurial, merciless fighter he used to be four or five years ago.
Having evolved into a complete boxer, under the guidance of Roach, Pacquiao has also become more calculating, even compassionate when going for the jugular.
This “soft” side showed up against Antonio Margarito, Joshua Clottey, Shane Mosley, Brandon Rios, Timothy Bradley and Chris Algieri, in Pacquiao’s last fight on Nov. 23 in Macau.
Being a six-time trainer of the year, Roach knows Pacquiao can’t afford to do the same against a crafty defensive specialist like Mayweather.
If ever Pacquiao-Mayweather comes into fruition on May 2 or whenever, Roach feels that his ward needs to attack without letup.
Pacquiao will have to a apply constant, continuous pressure throughout, not just in sporadic outbursts, so that Mayweather will have no room to counter-attack.
“I like guys who bring the fight, and that’s what we’ll have to do against a guy like Mayweather.”
Of course, Pacquiao always dictates the tempo of his fights. He tends to initiate and engage.
When his opponent begins to cover-up or run, however, Pacquiao’s concentration occasionally wavers. Sometimes, he even gets irritated and frustrated.
That’s another pitfall Roach intends to check if ever Pacquiao faces Mayweather.
Roach will come up with a perfect plan and wants a perfect execution from Pacquiao.