MANILA, Philippines – Freddie Roach gave his stamp of approval on Manny Pacquiao possibly coming back to face fellow former multiple-division champion Adrien Broner.
Reacting to reports circulating around the internet about negotiations between the Pacquiao and Broner camps, Roach said he likes the thought.
“Broner's a friend of mine. I met him on his fourth pro fight. He was a much different person back then, he was really nice to me,” the bespectacled trainer recently told Steve Kim of boxingscene.com.
Talks about Pacquiao stepping into the boxing ring again are gaining steam, with his longtime promoter Bob Arum reportedly penciling October 15 as the Filipino icon's possible comeback.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal even reported that Arum has booked the Mandalay Bay Events center in Las Vegas as the venue for Pacquiao’s return.
But so far, there’s no word from Pacquiao, who has just been sworn in as a Philippine senator.
Meanwhile, Broner (32-2, with 24 KOs), who has held titles at junior lightweight, lightweight, super lightweight and welterweight, has emerged as a possible opponent for Pacquiao.
The thought excites Roach.
“I can't wait to see the fight and we'd be going for the knockout,” he said.
The multi-awarded trainer went on to say that Broner, who interestingly is a former protégé of Floyd Mayweather Jr., is a better match-up for Pacquiao than the retired Mayweather.
“It's a good fight, definitely style-wise. He [Broner]'s a little bit flamboyant and so forth, but he's not impossible to hit,” Roach added.
“He's no Floyd Mayweather.”