Roach: Pacquiao is hitting harder than ever

Boxing champion and Sarangani Rep.Manny Pacquiao trains with longtime coach Freddie Roach. AP

HOLLYWOOD—Could Floyd Mayweather Jr. be cooking up something on his own?

Freddie Roach, who once worked in the same gym where Mayweather used to loiter in when he was a young five-year-old believes it is possible.

“Like I said before, he is self-taught [about] how to box,” said Roach. “His dad was in jail most of the time and his uncle Roger was training in the same gym I was working in. He was a very good boxer at [five years old] but the thing is nobody really paid him any attention.

“He just knew how to fight because that’s the environment he grew up in,” Roach said.

That young kid grew up to be one of the most successful fighters in his era and now will face Roach’s prized ward, eight-division champion Manny Pacquiao, the Filipino ring icon who has blitzed weight classes with an uncanny mix of speed and power.

The two fighters clash on May 2 in Las Vegas and Roach said Wednesday that Pacquiao is close to peak form for that highly anticipated encounter.

“He’s a 100 percent ready to fight,” said Roach. “He’s just tapering off. We did eight rounds of mitts today. It was a little more than I intended at first. Overall it was a pretty good workout.

“He knocked the wind out of me a couple of times today,” he added. “My chest is really sore. He’s really fast; he’s stronger than ever. He’s really up for this fight. From Day 1 until now, he’s on fire. He’s training his ass off for this fight.

“Bob Arum asked me: Is he faster than ever? I said I think so. Is he hitting harder than ever? I said, oh I know that one and it’s yes. The leverage he’s getting for his shots now is better than ever by far. His footwork is great. That’s what’s going to win this fight.”