LOS ANGELES - Madidismaya si Freddie Roach kung hindi mana-knockout ni Manny Pacquiao si David Diaz sa darating na Sabado sa Mandalay Bay.
“I really want a knockout in this fight,” wika ni Roach nitong Sabado sa Wild Card Gym nang tanungin siya kung tatagal ang laban ng 12 rounds.
Nais makita ni Roach ang knockout performance ni Pacquiao tulad nang kanyang pabagsakin ang 11 sa kanyang 16 kalaban sapul nang magsama sila noong 2001.
“We haven’t had a knockout in two fights,” ani Roach patukoy sa huling dalawang panalo ni Pacman kontra kina Marco Antonio Barrera na dinomina nito noong Oktubre ng nakaraang taon at Juan Manuel Marquez na natapos sa controversial decision noong Marso.
Ayon kay Roach, kailangan ni Pacquiao ng knockout at wala nang iba pa upang patunayan ang kanyang status bilang No. 1 fighter sa buong mundo, pound for pound, ngayon.
“Manny needs to be impressive in this fight because he’s the number one fighter in the world today pound for pound,” wika ng two-time Trainer of the Year ng America. “I really feel we need a knockout against David Diaz in this fight and I feel we’ll knock him out.”
Naging matagumpay ang partnership nina Pacquiao at Roach na nagsimula sa sensational sixth-round knockout ng Pinoy boxer laban kay Lehlo Ledwaba noong July 2001 kasunod ang mga knockout wins laban kina Jorge Julio, Fahprakorb Rakkiatgym, Serikzhan Yeshmagambetov, Emmanuel Lucero, Barrera, Fashan Battery, Hector Velasquez, Erik Morales (dalawang beses) at Jorge Solis noong Marso ng nakaraang taon.
“I really want a knockout in this fight,” ani Roach. (Abac Cordero)