MANILA, Philippines - This early, Freddie Roach is stomping his foot on a Manny Pacquiao-Amir Khan showdown.
The celebrated trainer is handling the corners of both fighters, and he said there’s no way he’d draw the line between them.
Pacquiao, at 32, is currently boxing’s biggest draw, as pound-for-pound champion and the WBC/WBO welterweight champion.
Khan is only 24 but has shown enough flare and tremendous improvement in each fight, and many believe that he has what it takes to match up with Pacquiao.
Last week, the Englishman stopped Zab Hudah inside five rounds to unify the IBF and WBA light-welterweight titles.
Pacquiao and Khan train under one roof, whether it’s at the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles or in the Philippines, as perfect sparring partners.
Roach said that’s as far as it should go.
“They are not going to fight each other,” Roach told Robert Morales of www.boxingscene.com.
“I’m not going to let that happen because I train both fighters. They are both my fighters and they are like sons to me. How can I let both my sons fight?” he added.
Roach would rather see Pacquiao fight someone else, like Juan Manuel Marquez or Timothy Bradley. There’s also the possibility of Khan taking on Floyd Mayweather Jr.
But for Roach, you’ll never see Pacquiao vs Khan.
“It is too much drama to let that happen. They are like my kids. I’ve been with Manny for 10 years and I’ve been with Amir for three years. We have a great relationship. Why would I ruin that relationship?” said Roach.
“There are a lot of other good fighters out there. (Victor) Ortiz, (Floyd) Mayweather, ‘The Ghost,’ (Robert Guerrero). There are a lot of other good fighters,” he said of possible opponents for his “kids.”
Also, Roach thinks that Khan may be a little too young for Pacquiao.
“Manny has too much experience for him. Amir seems to be better early and then Manny takes over in the later rounds because of his experience,” he told www.boxingscene.com.