LOS ANGELES — Somewhere along the way during an afternoon chat with Freddie Roach, it was learned that a Filipino couple was said to have offered their services to hypnotize Manny Pacquiao in preparation for his scheduled 12-rounder with Mexican Hector Velazquez at the Staples Center.
“I saw them during the media day (last Aug. 31) and he offered to hypnotize Manny and I said no,” said Roach with a chuckle. “I told him, you hypnotize Manny and I am going to kill you.”
“I know he was just trying to help. But five days before the fight, we can’t try something new. I know it’s funny but not too close to the fight.”
Roach, however, said he had once a fighter, ex-world champion Stevie Collins, who underwent the procedure and he said “it worked for him.”
“But it’s not the type of hypnotizing you see on TV where you become a different person. It’s more like sports psychology.”
Before the conversation broke off between the revered cornerman with a pair of scribes from the Philippines, Roach delved on what the future holds for Pacquiao in the event his pride and joy gets upset by Velazquez.
It was the sudden change of topic that altered the mood dramatically.
