American trainer Freddie Roach told Viva Sports/Manila Standard he wants Ring Magazine featherweight champion Manny Pacquiao ?to finish Fahsan 3K Battery first and worry about (Marco Antonio) Barrera and the others later.?
In a long distance telephone conversation from Davao City, Roach said Pacquiao?s priority is his Dec. 11 showdown with ?this tough, durable Thai boxer, who is bound to go all out to beat Manny.?
The 2003 Trainer of the Year had earlier challenged Barrera to ?clear up the air and settle the issue? by taking on Pacquiao in February after the Mexican claimed once again that he was distracted and not at his best in their Nov. 15, 2003 battle in San Antonio, Texas where he suffered a devastating 11th-round knockout.
Barrera recently beat Eric Morales in an epic fight.
Roach said he didn?t think Barrera was afraid of Pacquiao but had declined the rematch offer from international promoter Murad Muhammad because ?he (Barrera) wants a lot of money.?
At the same time, Roach didn?t buy the suggestion of the Barrera camp that Pacquiao first fight World Boxing Council super bantamweight champion Oscar Larios before a possible Barrera rematch next September.
Roach said he had spoken to Larios? trainer, who told him ?Oscar (Larios) will never fight Pacquiao,? because there was no way he could match the speed or the power of the Filipino, especially if Larios had to move up to 126 pounds.
However, Roach said: ?I?m sure Golden Boy Promotions,? which is the promotional arm of Oscar de la Hoya ?will sign up Manny (Pacquiao) for a Barrera fight,? although he stressed that he wanted the flamboyant Filipino southpaw to think of nothing else right now but the Fahsan fight.
Roach was obviously pleased with Pacquiao?s work ethic and said he looked great during Tuesday?s workout, adding that he lined up 10 rounds of sparring yesterday against Philippine lightweight champion Fernando Montilla and junior welterweight Chris Saluday and 12 rounds of sparring on Friday.
