LOS ANGELES ? It took Freddie Roach two days to finally grade Manny Pacquiao?s smashing performance over the weekend in Las Vegas.
“Ten,” Roach told the Bulletin on Monday night as he was having dinner at Nat?s Thai restaurant just a stone?s throw away from the Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood.
“Finally, a ten (for Pacquiao). I just finished watching the tape and when he hit the ropes, most of the times he got off quickly like we wanted to. And the first knockdown (Pacquiao scored in the second round) was a counter-punch that we do in the gym all the time. He stepped away from the long right hand (by Morales). It worked perfectly.”
The perfect grade was a fitting follow-up to Pacquiao?s average performance against Oscar Larios last July in Manila.
In that fight, Roach gave Pacquiao a six (in a scale of one to ten).
As to who Pacquiao is going to fight next, there are reports that he is going to Macau to fight under Top Rank although Golden Boy Promotions of Oscar De La Hoya is determined to exercise its rights over Pacquiao by pitting him against Marco Antonio Barrera in a rematch on March 11, 2007.
Pacquiao?s third-round knockout of a legend like Erik Morales at the Thomas and Mack Center only solidified Roach?s boast that the Filipino is the top fighter in the world today pound for pound.
“The crowd loves Manny,” said Roach, who revealed that there are talks involving him and Golden Boy Promotions that would see him train De La Hoya for the megabuck match with Floyd Mayweather.
“This is not official yet,” said Roach, who expressed confidence that he can find time to train Pacquiao and De La Hoya at the same time although he made it clear that his main priority is Pacquiao.
De La Hoya and Mayweather are booked to clash on May 5, 2007
