All-time great boxer’s career could be coming to an end.
All-time great boxing coach Freddie Roach will urge Manny Pacquiao to retire if he is knocked out by Brandon Rios in their November bout in Macau.
The stunning news means fans of the sport could be seeing a close to one of the greatest careers boxing has ever seen.
If Pacquiao was to lose to Rios in comprehensive fashion it would his third loss in a row after dropping a controversial decision to Timothy Bradley Jr. and getting knocked out cold by Mexican rival Juan Manuel Marquez in their fourth encounter in December last year.
Roach said if he could see his star pupil did not have the speed anymore to stay at the top of the sport he would “recommend” he should retire.
“It’s over, 100 percent (if Pacquiao is knocked out by Rios),” Roach said.
“We have a deal. When I tell him it’s over, he’ll say it’s over and that’s it. He’s pretty loyal with his words and if that happens, it will be the end.”
However, despite the punishment he has copped in his last two fights, Roach said he had not seen any signs of decline in ‘Pac Man’ in or out of the ring.
“The thing is, people look at the losses and they think the reason is that he’s getting old. That’s not the case, not from what I see. Look, we all thought he beat Bradley, so throw that out,” he said.
“And in the Marquez fight, I thought he was doing well and was looking like he was going to win by knockout when he made a mistake and ran into a shot.”
Pacquiao (54-5-2, 38 KOs) will be close to turning 35 when he returns to the ring against the 27-year-old Rios (31-1-1, 23 KOs), who is coming off a loss in a rematch with Mike Alvarado via unanimous decision last March.
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