MANILA, Philippines — Not in April, but in September.
That’s when trainer Freddie Roach thinks pound-for-pound champion Manny Pacquiao should return to the ring, after suffering a brutal knockout in the hands of Juan Manuel Marquez earlier this month.
“[April] is too soon after [a knockout like that],” Roach was quoted by 710 radio, according to BoxingScene.com.
“We spoke about [his next fight]. I told him that I think he should come back around September and he agreed with me.”
Pacquiao got knocked out cold by Marquez, using a brilliant right, in the sixth round of their fourth fight last December 9 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
But the Filipino boxing champion, though, remains upbeat even after the stunning loss, according to Roach.
“Manny told him [Roach] if he thought he couldn’t lose, he would be in the wrong business,” relayed Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix in a tweet (@ChrisMannixSI).