LOS ANGELES ? One of Floyd Mayweather Jr.?s better known punches is the ?check hook?, a short left hook delivered to the jaw quickly and with supreme precision, which usually does its job of keeping a foe either off-rhythm or totally glassed out.
Mayweather used it to knock out foes such as Diego Corrales and Ricky Hatton. Along with the jab to the body, it is one of the punches that the undefeated American is expected to employ against Manny Pacquiao when they lock horns next week.
It is the Mayweather signature punch Freddie Roach is most wary of, that?s why he’s made sure Pacquiao knows how to deal with it.
?You know, someone shows us his [Mayweather?s] check hook and I said we already know how to take care of that,? Roach told Filipino scribes the other day after Pacquiao finished his workout at the Wild Card Gym here.
For weeks, Roach had been preparing Pacquiao for a complicated fighter such as Mayweather, whose accurate counterpunching and tight shoulder-roll defense make him the best in the game.
Roach thinks he has succeeded, with the outcome that will validate his work being revealed on May 2 (May 3 in Manila) at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Sportshub ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1
On Saturday (Sunday in Manila) afternoon, neither Roach nor Pacquiao faced scribes after another training session that included some rounds of sparring and mitt work. The Filipino icon was the first to leave the venue in the passenger seat of his Mercedes sports car, followed by Roach in his vehicle of the same brand.
Perhaps Roach thought he had already made his point the past few days that there?s no need for him to reiterate.
?We won’t walk into his [Mayweather?s] traps. Again, it’s not that complicated,? the bespectacled cornerman earlier said.
?Manny knows exactly what to do with that.?
