WASHINGTON, D.C.: Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach thinks Manny Pacquiao is fit to continue fighting by September, but vowed to remain watchful for signs that might endanger the wellbeing of his prized Filipino boxer.
?[Manny] says he?s fine, and I believe him,? Roach told veteran Los Angeles Times sportswriter Bill Dwyre on Wednesday.
The 53-year-old Roach, who is dealing with Parkinson?s syndrome he got from prizefighting, admitted he was worried about the safety of Pacquiao, after he was knocked out cold and was unconscious for about two minutes in a December 8 fourth fight with Mexican rival Juan Manuel Marquez.
In that non-title thriller, Pacquiao was knocked down for the first time by Marquez midway in the third round, got back on his feet to score a knockdown of his own in the fifth, and appeared to be on the verge of stopping Marquez when he got drilled by a right hand and fell face first in the final second of the sixth round.
?My girlfriend?s a doctor, and she thought [Pacquiao] was dead,? Roach was quoted by Dwyre.
The five-time Trainer of the Year said he told both Pacquiao and his promoter Bob Arum that he was against Pacquiao fighting earlier than September, to give him enough time to recover.
Roach, who said he considers Pacquiao like a son, said he would be looking for ?things? when he reunites with Filipino icon in their next training camp, possibly as early as July, to prepare for the projected Pacquiao-Marquez 5 in September.
?There are things I will be looking for in our next training camp. First, it is the footwork. I will be able to tell if he starts feeling for the canvas,? said Roach, who racked up a 40-win-13-loss record as pro boxer for eight years.
?I remember when I did. I?ll look for any slight tremors. I remember watching [former heavyweight champ] Larry Holmes show a slight tremor when he was doing the mitts in training and I always thought that was a bad sign for his future. But so far, so good.?
Roach also said he would have Pacquiao, a first-term representative and running for reelection unopposed in Sarangani province, spar considerably less and ask him his ?reasons? for continuing to fight.
?If he says he needs to keep going to pay for the politics, I will tell him that?s the wrong reason,? Roach said. ?[But] if it is because he still wants to and loves it, that?s the right reason.?
Roach, who has guided Pacquiao to a record eight world titles in as many weight divisions, thinks that the Filipino boxing superstar would listen to him in case he would have to tell Pacquiao it?s time to hang his gloves.
?Manny told me that if I tell him it is time to stop, he will,? said Roach, who won Trainer of the Year honors while training Pacquiao in 2003, 2006, 2008, 2009 and 2010.
