Freddie Roach Says Floyd Doesn’t Move Like He Used To

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Manny Pacquiao Freddie Roach“I don’t think he moves like he used to. His legs aren’t what they were – that’s the first thing to go with a fighter.”

That was ‘Hall of Fame’ trainer Freddie Roach telling Skysports.com what he sees in Floyd Mayweather Jr(47-0, 26KO’s), a fighter who has separated himself from the rest of the paid ranks with a lengthy string of near-flawless victories. Floyd is now 38 years old and could just be showing signs of mortality on the eve of the most important fight of his life against Roach’s disciple Manny Pacquiao(57-5-2, 38KO’s).

The fight is set for May 2nd in Las Vegas with the WBC, WBO and WBA Super World welterweight titles all on the line, and will determine which man will be remembered as the best ‘pound-for-pound’ fighter of this era.

Roach is oftentimes quick to diminish any fighter who stands across from his own under the searing lights, but edged towards pragmatism when assessing Floyd’s strengths alongside his weaknesses.

“He has a good right hand but i don’t think he’ll knock Manny out with that right hand. There’s nothing I’m really concerned about so much. I know he’s a good fighter, but I just think I have the better fighter. The hand speed’s going to be the big, big difference. Manny’s much quicker than he is.”

Banking on Manny’s ability to withstand Floyd’s right hand -when you consider how often he will likely find the target- seems like a hefty gamble, but when based on the principle that his man has the necessary speed to overcome that particular hurdle it doesn’t sound so ludicrous. The problem is, Floyd’s right hand is just one option in a vast arsenal that has been developed with the strict purpose of breaking his opponents down, round by round. He is the furthest thing from a one-trick-pony imaginable.