Roach expects Mosley to slug it out

MANILA, Philippines –  Celebrated boxing trainer Freddie Roach said yesterday he expects Sugar Shane Mosley to go for broke and slug it out with defending WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao in their scheduled 12-round title bout at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on May 7.

Roach, who arrived in Manila from Los Angeles last Tuesday, cautioned Pacquiao not to take Mosley lightly.

“He can take you out with one punch, the right hand,” Roach told The STAR over breakfast at the Sofitel Hotel. “Mosley’s a good counter-puncher. He’ll use his left as a decoy. What he wants to do is to land the right. I don’t think he’ll box Manny because he doesn’t have the legs to fight from a distance. He’ll come on strong in the first four rounds, looking to knock out Manny.”

Roach said Pacquiao should be able to assume total control after the fourth round. “Not that Mosley will dominate the first four rounds,” qualified Roach. “I just think he’ll try to pressure Manny early. Manny could take those early rounds, too. Manny should be careful because Mosley has power.”

Roach is scheduled to start working out with Pacquiao at the Cooyesan Hotel Plaza gym in Baguio City tomorrow. The plan was to motor to Baguio last night or this morning.

Roach said if there’s a weakness in Pacquiao’s defense, it’s his vulnerability to get hit by the right hand. “(Juan Manuel) Marquez showed that,” he went on. “Manny can get hit with the right lead down the middle. That’s what he should watch for in fighting Mosley. I can see Manny throwing an overhand right over the top as a counter to Mosley’s left jab or left hook. Manny will go in and out which means he’ll use a lot of footwork. When Manny steps in, he’ll land the left hook.”

Roach declined to predict what round Pacquiao will dispose of Mosley. “It’ll probably be after the fourth round, maybe, the fifth or sixth,” he said, shrugging his shoulders. “Mosley’s got power and some hand-speed so we won’t rush things. One thing is Mosley has some difficulty fighting southpaws.”

In 2004, Mosley lost a pair of decisions to left-handed Winky Wright in Las Vegas. One was a blowout by unanimous decision on scores of 116-112 (Paul Smith), 117-111 (Dave Moretti) and 117-111 (Chuck Giampa) while the other was a setback by majority decision on scores of 114-all (Hubert Earle), 115-113 (Tom Kaczmarek) and 115-113 (Duane Ford). But in 2007, Mosley was untouchable in pounding out a unanimous 12-round verdict over southpaw Luis Collazo in Las Vegas. The scores weren’t close as Adalaide Byrd saw it 119-108, Ford 118-109 and Nobuaki Uratani, 118-109.

Nazim Richardson will be in Mosley’s corner for the Pacquiao bout as he was when Sugar Shane stopped Antonio Margarito in the ninth round in 2009. Roach mentioned that when Richardson suffered a stroke in 2008, he took over as Bernard Hopkins’ trainer for the Joe Calzaghe fight. Hopkins lost by split decision. Richardson later returned to work in Hopkins’ win over Kelly Pavlik and the Mosley victory over Margarito.

“Nazim’s a good trainer and a friend,” said Roach. “But at Mosley’s age, how much can Nazim change to make him a better fighter? He doesn’t have his legs anymore and it showed in the (Floyd) Mayweather Jr. fight.”

Richardson, for his part, was quoted by Geoffrey Ciani of East Side Boxing as saying, “I’ve watched Pacquiao, I’m impressed with him, I’ve watched the work Freddie’s done with him (and) I’m impressed with Freddie’s work.”

Mosley, 39, is coming off a split 12-round draw with Sergio Mora in a fight where he had to win the last two stanzas to avoid a loss. That Mosley was able to mount a late assault is a credit to his durability despite his age.

“(Mosley’s) philosophy is that he lives like a boxer so it’s a part of his lifestyle,” said Richardson, dismissing notions that age will be a handicap against Pacquiao. “He’s in shape and he stays in the gym so he should be able to respond pretty quickly.”

William Charles Baker of Digital Journal said the Pacquiao-Mosley duel is also about the match-up between Roach and Richardson.

“It is hard to rate any other trainer superior to Roach,” said Baker. “Pacquiao, Amir Khan and a long list of previously trained fighters have made Roach a celebrity on his own merits. Very few come close to Richardson when all aspects of a trainer are evaluated together. Richardson gives exact instructions, which punches are working, which movement is working, what defense is working, what to do expect in the later rounds plus the best trash talking of any trainer.”

Roach turned 51 last March 5. He celebrated his birthday at work. Roach was in Danny Jacobs’ corner as the 6-1 Brooklyn middleweight blasted out Robert Kliewer at 1:44 of the first round to raise his record to 22-1-0, with 19 KOs, at the Honda Center in Anaheim.

Roach said after the Pacquiao-Mosley fight, he plans to accompany his mother Barbara on a vacation at his home on Prince Edward Island in Canada.