Retirement far from Roach’s mind
LAS VEGAS – Retirement is far from Freddie Roach’s mind even if his prized pupil, Manny Pacquiao, has decided to call it a day.
“No,” said Roach when asked during the post-fight press conference if he himself was considering following in Pacquiao’s footsteps.
Roach has good reasons to stay in the sport. He has to continue running his own gym in Los Angeles, and has a couple of contenders under his wings. Besides, he said, he doesn’t have enough hobbies “to fall back on.”
“I also have young fighters coming up,” he said, referring to Jose Ramirez as one of them.
Of course, Roach has Miguel Cotto in his current roster.
“I’m still looking forward to winning world titles with them,” said Roach, after steering Pacquiao to an impressive win over Timothy Bradley at the MGM Grand.
He said Pacquiao can continue fighting if he wants to, and all the Filipino boxer has to do is say he’d like to keep on punching.
“I would like to see him fight again, yes,” said the 56- year- old Roach.
Pacquiao did what Roach wanted him to do against Bradley. Well, most of them. “My fighter fought a pretty good fight today. I was very happy the way Manny fought tonight. His style was how it was back then,” said Roach.
“Manny really tried to knock him out. And that was good to see. That’s what makes him exciting. He was aggressive. And when he hurt his opponent he went after him,” Roach added.
He said the 37-year-old Pacquiao, back in the ring after an absence of almost a year, was kind of rusty, but still proved better than what others had expected him to be.
Roach said he looked for the volume of punches from Pacquiao, and settled for 439 of them throughout 12 rounds, with 122 landing.
It was far from what the old Pacquiao had thrown in the past.
“He started a little too slow and the volume of punches were not enough,” he said.
On Pacquiao’s retirement, Roach believes that it will take a little while before it really sinks in on the boxer who now wants to be senator.
“Boxing is a difficult sport to quit. I think he hasn’t realized that yet. But he will soon,” Roach said.