Roach fears Mayweather may run, not engage Pacquiao

Manny Pacquiao. AFP FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — Manny Pacquiao is unlike anyone Floyd Mayweather Jr. has ever faced.

Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach believes Mayweather will have his work cut out for him against the power and speed of Pacquiao on their scheduled May 2 megafight.

“He (Mayweather) can’t move quite as well as he used to,” Roach, who was recently named Trainer of the Year for the seventh time by the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA), told Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix. “I think Manny’s power will overwhelm him. He has never been against someone with the speed of Pacquiao. Seeing it is one thing, dealing with it is another thing.”

But Roach admitted it won’t be an easy fight for Pacquiao and for him as well.

Roach needs to devise a plan to beat the No.1 pound-for-pound fighter, who is not only unscathed in 47 fights, but has also been hardly hit throughout his career.

Mayweather may not be the same fighter he once was, but Roach knows the kind of fighter he still is.

“The challenge [of Mayweather] was bigger five years ago,” Roach said in the same interview. “I think Mayweather has slowed down a little bit. But he is still a great fighter. We’re going to need a great game plan to beat him.”

What Roach fears the most come fight night isn’t Mayweather winning, but him running instead of engaging Pacquiao.

“My biggest fear is that Mayweather doesn’t stand and fight. That he tries to run and tries to survive. He can try, but against Manny he can’t run all night.”

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