Pacquiao retirement not on the horizon

LAS VEGAS—To those wondering when Manny Pacquiao will finally leave the boxing world, the pound-for-pound superstar gave a hint: He’ll call it quits once his trainer sees him in a decline.

Freddie Roach, however, only sees improvement.

“He’s not slowing down yet,” Roach told reporters during Tuesday’s grand arrival of Team Pacquaio at the MGM Grand here. “You ask me, I’ll be the first to tell him.”

Roach made the comment despite Pacquiao’s failure to knock out his last two opponents—Ghanaian Joshua Clottey and Mexican Antonio Margarito.

Roach and other knowledgeable ring observers, like former two-time world champion Gerry Peñalosa, feel that Pacquiao has a lot more to offer in his fight against Shane Mosley today (Manila time).

Peñalosa, a familiar visitor during Pacquiao’s training sessions at Roach’s Wild Card Gym, said Pacquiao seems to have developed more speed and strength.

Roach, on the other hand, said that their training camp for Mosley was the best they ever had, even better than when he demolished Miguel Cotto in 12 rounds in 2009.

The five-time trainer of the year could only wish for another perfect performance from Pacquiao.

“The [David] Diaz fight was the first time [that everything came together], said Roach. “Then the Oscar De La Hoya fight was perfect.”

A better performance against Mosley should stave off retirement talks anew.