"This is a much better fight for the fans, I think, and for the people. That's why we took it. We accepted this fight because it's a tough fight, he is the number one contender, he's completely the opposite of what Mayweather brings to the table...I think if we break him down, we can get him out of there in the late rounds, but again, he's never been knocked out before and that's our goal," stated world-class trainer Freddie Roach, who was on hand at the Madison Square Garden Theater earlier today for a press conference to announce Manny Pacquiao's upcoming March 13th title defense against Joshua Clottey. Check out what else Roach had to say about the fight and much more.
On Clottey's weaknesses...
I'm not sure if he takes breaks because he needs a rest or if he's just being lazy, so I'm going to study his tapes a little bit more. I'm just coming off the Mayweather tapes and getting into Clottey. I know him pretty well because I've seen the Cotto fight quite a bit, but again, I'm just studying him a little bit deeper and come up with a perfect gameplan. By next week, we'll have the gameplan down and we'll start working on it in the gym.
On what will be the difference in the fight...
Speed. The thing is that everybody has got an asset and it's not a secret that's why we can compete at this level at this weight. Manny Pacquiao has speed and power and that's the key to winning the fight.
On whether or not Clottey is a more difficult fight than Mayweather...
Yes, of course. The thing is Mayweather, he doesn't like to engage that much. That's why it's really hard to find him. This is a much better fight for the fans, I think, and for the people. That's why we took it. We accepted this fight because it's a tough fight, he is the number one contender, he's completely the opposite of what Mayweather brings to the table, but we're really not worried about Mayweather right now because he doesn't want to fight us.
More on the Clottey fight...
We're going to be ready to go 12 hard rounds because he is a big, strong guy. He's never been knocked out before.
I think if we break him down, we can get him out of there in the late rounds, but again, he's never been knocked out before and that's our goal.
On whether or not Pacquiao will ever fight below welterweight again...
No!
On whether or not they're concerned about Clottey's size...
It's always a concern, of course, but the thing is going into the ring, my guy is going to be about 149 and the other guy is going to have about 10-12 pounds on him and be bigger, but size doesn't win fights. Ability does!
On a fight with Shane Mosley...
Let's face it, Shane would love to fight Manny right now. The thing is if he beats Mayweather, if that fight does happen, and he wins, we will fight him and that will be a great fight. Shane's a very good fighter and I respect him quite a bit.
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