Roach says M'weather best pick for Pacquiao

MANILA, Philippines - Freddie Roach can’t take his eyes off Floyd Mayweather Jr.

As Miguel Cotto opened the doors to his training camp the other day, three months before his scheduled bout with Manny Pacquiao, the three-time Trainer of the Year said he still considers Mayweather as the best fight out there for the Filipino boxing icon.

Roach told fighthype.com if he could have his way, he’d rather see Pacquiao fighting Mayweather – and no one else.

“I want Mayweather right now. I wanted him first the whole time. I mean, let’s face it, that’s the fight the whole world wants to see; the fight I want to see,” said Roach, who nonetheless has started doing his homework for the showdown with Cotto on Nov. 14.

Roach said there are many reasons why he considers Mayweather as the best choice. More than the revenues it could generate, the hottest trainer in the sport today said he likes Pacquiao’s chances against the American ex-pound-for-pound champion.

Better than Cotto, the WBO welterweight champion, or Shane Mosley, the WBA welterweight king.

“I think he’s the easiest fight of the three. He’s not that big. He’s not that strong. He breaks down quickly. He’s been off for two years,” Roach said of Mayweather, who comes out of retitrement to fight Juan Manuel Marquez next month.

“You know, at 135 and 140, he might have been great, but at 47 and 54, I don’t see the greatness...I think Manny will knock him out,” he added.

Yesterday, Roach also told boxingscene.com he was quite puzzled why Mayweather took on Marquez instead of Pacquiao, and that the fight, recently postponed, was announced on the day Pacquiao fought Ricky Hatton last May 2.

“I don’t get it. All he (Mayweather) had to do was wait one more day (after the Hatton fight) and he could have had Manny. I would have loved to have gotten to Floyd before Marquez, but that’s that,” said Roach.

He’s not looking past Cotto, still a dangerous opponent, but Roach would have loved if it was Mayweather instead they’re preparing for right now.

“When I was in the UK last month that was all anyone wanted to ask me about. That’s the fight that has to be made. Bob and Al Haymon (Mayweather’s adviser) will have to put their differences together to make that fight because it would be good for the entire sport,” Roach said.

“It’s a fight that has to happen. People talk about making big fights, but to me, that’s about as big as they come. I think it will happen,” Pacquiao’s trainer of eight years added.