Roach: Pacquiao will break down Mayweather if they collide

MANILA, Philippines – The fight remains a dream showdown for now but trainer Freddie Roach already has an idea how his ward Manny Pacquiao will approach and break down Floyd Mayweather Jr if ever they climb the ring together. “Floyd’s shoulder roll wouldn’t work against Manny," Roach said when he guested recently on ESPN. “If he wants to lay on the rope, we’d love that. Manny will go to his body and Floyd will be broken down." Clamor for a possible Pacquiao-Mayweather bout remains high as ring aficionados want to see who will prevail in a battle between two pound-for-pound top guns. Pacquiao has been the consensus P4P king since the unbeaten Mayweather retired a year and a half ago. Early this month, Mayweather announced his return to boxing, facing Pacquiao’s old rival Juan Manuel Marquez on July 18 and claiming he’s still the No. 1 fighter in the planet and the sport’s top draw. Right after Pacquiao demolished Ricky Hatton in two rounds, the Pacman has been shopping for an opponent and Mayweather, being the former P4P boss, is among the frontrunners. Being considered, too, are Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto and Sugar Shane Mosley with the names of Marquez, Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. and Edwin Valero also mentioned. But if you ask Roach, anyone among Cotto, Mayweather Jr. and Mosley is the most likely next opponent for his prized ward, who’s eyeing an October 17 outing. As to who will win the Pacquiao sweepstakes, Roach said it’s a matter of who’s the easiest to deal with (Read: He who would agree to the Pacman’s conditions on purse split and stipulated weight). “All three of them are good fights, and I’d like to see us fight either one of them at a catch weight of 143 or 144 pounds. My guy is the champion at 140 pounds and all of those guys are welterweights so I’d like to see a catch weight to even the playing field a little bit," he said. – GMANews.TV