Mas gusto ni Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach na harapin ng kanyang alagang si eight-division world champion Manny Pacquaio si WBO super welterweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez ng Mexico sa catch weight na 150 pounds kaysa mga inirereto ng Top Rank Inc. na sina WBC at WBO super lightweight titlist Terence Crawford ng United States at WBO super featherweight ruler Vasyl Lomachenco ng Ukraine.
Nagbalik-boksing si Pacquiao at matagumpay na naagaw ang WBO welterweight title sa Mexican American na si Jessie Vargas nitong Nobyembre 5, 2016 sa Las Vegas, Nevada at sinasala na ni Roach ang mga posibleng kalaban niya sa Mayo 2017 kung hindi matutuloy ang nilulutong rematch sa dating pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Pangunahing option si Crawford na lalaban ngayon sa overweight na si John Molina kaya hindi taya ang mga korona at duda naman si Roach kay Lomachenco na humihingi ng isang taong pagsasanay bago harapin si Pacquiao.
“Crawford has the better chance over Lomachenko to get the fight]. Lomachenko said that he wants to fight at 130 and wants one year to get ready for the fight. I said ‘you want a whole year to get ready for the fight?’ I think that’s a very nice way of saying you don’t want the fight. That’s impossible,” sabi ni Roach sa BoxingScene.com.
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“We may end up with that fight [against Crawford]. It’s a very, very difficult fight. Crawford is a very good fighter. He can move. He’s a good boxer. He’s maybe like a young Mayweather I feel - but he’s a little better puncher than Mayweather. He’s a dangerous guy. That could be our next fight,” diin ni Roach. “If we don’t get a rematch with Mayweather and so forth, then that’s a fight we may need to take because we still want to be on top of the game. We can’t just fight stiffs. We have to fight the best guys out there.”
Para kay Roach, mas bebenta kung haharapin ni Pacquiao ang No.1 boxer ng Mexico na si Alvarez dahil minsan na ring naging WBC super welterweight champion ang Pinoy boxer nang talunin sa puntos ang mas malaking si Mexican Antonio Margarito na iniwasang labanan ni Mayweather.
Ngunit idiniin ni Roach na kailangang may rehydration clause na hanggang 10 pounds lamang para hindi masyadong malaki si Alvarez sa sandali ng laban at naniniwala siyang tatalunin ni Pacquiao ang Mexican.
“I like Alvarez a little bit better [for Pacquiao], but the thing is can I put a cap on how much he gains after the weigh-in? That’s the key,” giit ni Roach. “The IBF rule [regarding their fight day rehydratdion clause], 10 pounds, something like that [is needed for the fight]. I’m really not worried about what he weighs going into the weigh-in.
I’m worried about how much he puts on, how much bigger he is with Manny. By fight time, this guy is a light heavyweight for Christ’s sake.”
“I’d rather have the fight at 147 of course, but we’d have to do a catch-weight. I think that’s the issue that’s keeping that fight from not happening right away,” dagdag ni Roach. “I’m sure that Golden Boy and Top Rank would both love to have that fight, because I think it’s a very competitive fight.” (Gilbert Espeña)
