As Manny Pacquiao prepares for Juan Manuel Marquez on November 12, you haven’t heard any of the usual reports of an unfocused and distracted fighter. In fact, it’s been eerily quiet and workmanlike. What gives?
?Manny was very focused right away,? explained Roach, who arrived back in the States with Pacquiao last week. ?When Marquez came to this country and wore the t-shirt that said, ?I Beat Manny Pacquiao Twice,? that was a slap in the face. Manny will never say it but he doesn’t like this guy. I can tell. He has a little sparkle in his eye and when I tell him, ?Don’t be a nice guy. See what happens to nice guys like Victor Ortiz? Manny don’t let this fight go any longer than it should.? He said, ?Don’t worry. I won?t.??
In many respects, this has been the easiest training camp Roach has had with Pacquiao in years.
?Yeah, it actually is. I’m really happy. He’s on time. One day, I said, ?Manny, you finally got a watch that works,? He says, ?Oh, here?- He thought I was asking for his $30,000 watch. He wanted to give it to me. I said, ?No, I’m just glad it works because you’re on time.??
Regardless, Roach is just glad to be home.
?Yeah, I am. It’s been almost three months. Between the [Vyacheslav] Senchenko fight and then the U.S. Olympic team and then Manny Pacquiao [in the Philippines], so I’ve had a busy schedule on the road. It’s nice to be home and have the crowd back.?
