LOS ANGELES – Freddie Roach wants Manny Pacquiao to put pressure on Floyd Mayweather at the opening bell as the Hall of Fame trainer envisions his fighter “to dominate” the May 2 showdown in Las Vegas.
“We’ll take him out of his comfort zone,” said Roach on Wednesday during a question and answer session at the Nokia Theatre.
Roach has lined up six sparring partners although the banging of the bodies won’t happen until Tuesday when Roach calls in the first sparmate to kick off the most crucial stage of the preparation.
While the prospects of a knockout look very enticing, Roach admits a knockout is not their priority although Pacquiao won’t hesitate to pull the trigger if the opportunity comes.
“A knockout is just a bonus but we will try hard to win every round, including the first round,” said Roach, who began training Pacquiao in mid-2001 when the fighter was shopping for a new trainer.
“Mayweather is very clever,” added Roach, knowing that the fight will be the toughest in a career that started 20 years ago. (Nick Giongco)