SAN ANTONIO, Texas — Top trainer Freddie Roach may have given the lowest rating to a performance by Manny Pacquiao on Saturday night.
“A five,” said Roach moments after Pacquiao demolished unbeaten Mexican Jorge Solis in eight rounds at the Alamodome.
“Manny was playing around in the first half of the fight. There was no challenge that’s why he was playing with the guy and I told him to get serious,” said Roach, who arrived shortly after lunchtime from San Juan, Puerto Rico, where he’s been based since early March training Oscar De La Hoya.
Roach’s arrival had earlier been doubted since he had decided to work with De La Hoya, who is revving up for a May 5 clash with Floyd Mayweather in Las Vegas.
But Roach fulfilled his promise to be at ringside in this crucial fight of the Filipino southpaw and showed up ready to call the shots with the help of Wild Card assistant Justin Fortune and Filipinos Buboy Fernandez and Nonoy Neri.
Unlike in Pacquiao’s devastating third-round knockout victory over Erik Morales last year when Roach gave a two-thumbs up sign to Pacquiao’s showing, this time he was a bit stingy.
Roach had reasons to give Pacquiao an average ranking since the 2006 Boxing Writers Association of America top boxer for 2006 and Ring magazine’s 2006 Best Fighter was “playing a bit.”
Roach and Pacquiao are expected to talk just before the ace cornerman flies back to Puerto Rico on Sunday to reunite with De La Hoya.
Perhaps, one of the things that Roach would tell his prized ward is not to do the same thing again.
