Age has caught up with Manny Pacquiao, but trainer Freddie Roach believes the former pound-for-pound still has enough gas left in his tank to score an impressive win in his next fight.
Roach told reporters that he wants to see Pacquiao's vaunted speed and power in his third showdown with Timothy Bradley, which is scheduled on April 9 at MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
"The speed to overwhelm the opponent but it's really speed and power. That's what I want to see. We haven't seen that for a long time," Roach told reporters via The Philippine Star.
Pacquiao, who owns a 57-6-2 record with 38 knockouts, rose to fame after knocking one opponent after another during his prime. However, the 37-year-old has not scored a knockout win since stopping Miguel Cotto in the 12th round of their welterweight title fight in November 2009.
In fact, Pacquiao recently addressed his lack of knockout wins in the past six years. The former eight division world champion admitted that it is harder to knock opponents out because he is not a natural welterweight.
"It is harder to knock out opponents in the 147-pound division," Pacquiao told ESPN Deportes via Philippine Daily Inquirer. "Because, in fact, my natural weight is 140 pounds and if I demand a little more of myself - I can get down to 135."
But for the upcoming rematch with Bradley, Roach is still hoping that Pacquiao will end the fight -- and probably his career -- on a high note. It is worth noting that Pacquiao declared that he will retire regardless of the result of his next fight, but most analysts are convinced he could still fight again, especially if he scores an impressive win.
Roach said that Pacquiao looked great in their recent training sessions. The Hall of Fame trainer added that he thinks the Filipino boxing icon is ready for the fight with still more than a week before the bout.
"He was on fire. It was a very good workout. He looked great with his power, his speed. He was very fast. It was a very good day," Roach said. "He's ready to fight but the thing is we still have a week to go and a couple of sparring days. But he's ready to fight right now."
Pacquiao, who will fight for the first time since losing to Floyd Mayweather in their record-setting showdown in May last year, is a heavy favorite to win over Bradley after scoring a lopsided victory in their second fight in April 2014.
