A new generation of challengers awaits Manny Pacquiao in the event he disposes of Jeff Horn on July 2 in Brisbane, Australia, and Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach insists the Filipino legend will have his hands full against anyone of them.
“We are getting a bit older but we have to deal with it because if we want to compete, we have to fight on a high level,” said Roach.
With Floyd Mayweather uninterested in giving Pacquiao a rematch and is keen on facing MMA star Conor McGregor, Roach says the road ahead appears littered with landmines.
Assuming Pacquiao gets the undefeated but untested Horn at Suncorp Stadium, the eight-division champion who is nearing 40, has to deal with a bunch of guys who were still in their teens or pre-teen when he made his US debut in 2001.
Roach names Terence Crawford, Mikey Garcia, Keith Thurman and the fast-rising Errol Spence as possible foes, confident that Pacquiao still has four good fights left in him.
Much younger, fresher and more motivated, these guys have what it takes to beat Pacquiao, Roach swears, adding “they are all tough fights for us.”
Pacquiao, meanwhile, is going full blast in training as he is about to enter the most crucial stage of his buildup
A new sparring partner, Adrian Young, a 5-8 ½ from Mexico has planed in and will serve as the main sparmate in the entire camp.
By the end of next week, Pacquiao will probably hit 12 rounds of sparring before tapering off beginning mid-June.
