Pacquiao wants to KO Bradley

MANILA, Philippines – It’s something Freddie Roach hasn’t heard from Manny Pacquiao for a while.

Pacquiao’s longtime trainer said the Filipino icon wants a knockout win over Timothy Bradley on April 9 (April 10 Manila time).

In a report by RingTV.com’s Michael Rosenthal, Roach said Pacquiao himself told him he wants to win by knockout this time, something he hasn’t done since 2009 when he stopped Miguel Cotto.

“If Manny knocks out Bradley, I’ll be happy. That’s the only way I’ll be happy. And he told me for this camp he wants a knockout. That’s the first time he’s told me that in long, long time,” said Roach.

Pacquiao is expected to retire after fighting Bradley for the third time and prefers to exit the sport with a bang. Since the Cotto fight, Pacquiao was contented with lasting the distance and win by decision.

He did try to go for a knockout in his fourth meeting with rival Juan Manuel Marquez in 2012 and almost succeeded. But just as he was on the verge of stopping Marquez in the sixth round, the Mexican master counterpuncher landed a perfectly timed right straight that sent Pacquiao down and out.

It was a horrible sight, but something Roach said could have been avoided had Pacquiao tried to take Marquez out much earlier.

“I said, ‘If you would knock him out a little earlier, he wouldn’t get lucky and knock you out.’ We disagree on that point. Winning a decision isn’t a goal; winning by knockout is,” the trainer recalled.

Now Pacquiao will go for the kill against Bradley, who has lasted the distance in their first two meetings in 2012 and 2014.

Roach, for his part, thinks his ward still got what it takes to deliver a knockout.

“I think he’s still 80 percent of what he was when he was at his best. He’s still up there, he still really works hard, he still has a lot of speed,” said Roach.