Manny Pacquiao failed to pass the biggest challenge of his career, which is fueling speculation that the former pound-for-pound king will not return to the ring anymore.
But in an interview with Ring TV, trainer Freddie Roach said that Pacquiao is still good for two more fights before he retires. "I think he's got a couple fights left in him," he said.
However, Pacquiao is not expected to return to the ring anytime soon after undergoing surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff in his right shoulder, which he sustained during his loss to Floyd Mayweather last month.
According to Roach, Pacquiao is doing well in his recovery, but is not allowed to move his arm in the next 30 days until his scheduled assessment in the United States.
"Manny's doing fine, he's on 30 days' isolation, he can't move his arm for 30 days," said Roach, a seven-time Boxing Writers Association of America Trainer of the Year.
As for Pacquiao's next opponent, Roach said that they will look for a quality opponent because the Filipino boxing icon does not need a tune-up fight.
When asked if they are open to facing Paulie Malignaggi after the former world champion took a swipe at Pacquiao for allegedly making an excuse with his shoulder injury, Roach said that they do not want to give the 34-year-old the honor to face a great fighter like Pacquiao.
Nevertheless, Roach thinks that Malignaggi will be beaten up badly by Pacquiao if they eventually end up facing each other in the near future. "Manny will kill Paulie. It's like taking a candy from a baby," the trainer said.
Roach said that their ultimate goal is to get a rematch with Mayweather, who scored a unanimous decision win against Pacquiao in their record-setting fight last year. However, Roach admitted that he wants Pacquiao to beat a high-quality opponent first before going up against Mayweather.
It should be noted, though, that Mayweather recently hinted that his next fight in September could be the last fight of his career, which means the rematch with Pacquiao might not happen at all because the eight-division champion won't be ready to return until early next year.
Mayweather, who holds a perfect 48-0 record with 26 knockouts, is being linked to several possible opponents, including Amir Khan, who has been lobbying for a fight against the reigning pound-for-pound king since last year.
Khan, who recently scored a unanimous decision win against Chris Algieri, said that he thinks he will finally get a shot against Mayweather and their fight could be announced in the coming weeks.
"I don't think I have ever been closer to getting the fight with Floyd Mayweather than I am at this moment," Khan told Sky Sports. "The indications are that I have strengthened my case with my win over Algieri and I believe there is every chance the fight could be confirmed within the next two weeks."
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