Pacquiao ready to play dirty, too

HOLLYWOOD – Freddie Roach played a little rough and dirty as he worked the mitts with Manny Pacquiao at the Wild Card Gym.

He pushed Pacquiao around the ring, hit him when he least expected.

Perhaps he wanted Pacquiao to get a feel of what could happen or what’s going to happen at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on May 7.

 “He can get dirty. He can get rough,” Roach said during a lull in the 12-round mitts session, before a restricted audience Wednesday.

Roach was, of course, referring to Shane Mosley, who will try to take everything away from Pacquiao, by hook or by crook, on fight night.

Roach said he’s hoping for the best and at the same time expecting the worst.

Roach said Mosley, who can try and spit his mouthpiece out when he gets into trouble, can get dirty if he wants to.

He just doesn’t want Pacquiao to be taken by surprise.

“He can get dirty. That’s the only way he can win this fight,” Roach told Pacquiao, in a tone only those around the ring or those paying attention could hear.

But he said nothing can stop Pacquiao from winning the fight, stretch his winning streak to 14 matches and keep his WBO welterweight crown.

A victory will also help Pacquiao keep his reputation as the best fighter in the planet today.

“We’re 100 percent ready for the fight. If Mosley brings his best we’re ready for his best. I don’t think there is any room for an upset,” said Roach.

“But in boxing you never know,” added Roach in a tele-conference held earlier in the day.

Pacquiao is not leaving any stone unturned in this camp.

“No way,” he said as he shadow-boxed and faced Pinoy scribes in one corner of the ring.

Pacquiao said he has worked on this camp harder than before, and the other day he ran non-stop for a little over an hour, all the way up to the famous Hollywood Sign.

Roach is just hoping that Pacquiao won’t allow himself to get hit the way he got hit in his previous fights.

“The thing is I don’t think he gets hit on purpose – I don’t know anyone who gets hit on purpose. When you like to exchange and you like to throw punches you put yourself in harm’s way.

That’s why Manny is the most exciting fighter in the world. I can’t take that away from him. He’s always liked to throw combinations and when you let your hands go you leave yourself open,” he said.

Roach, as usual, squeezed the best from Pacquiao during the two-hour session, and sounded like Pacquiao is ready to get it on.

“We’re 100 percent ready on our end. We’ve done everything we can to get ready for the fight,” he said.

Late in the mitts session, Roach had a tiny video camera strapped to his head, for the filming crew of Showtime’s Fight Camp 360.

He looked like a miner working the tunnel.

When he called an end to the workout, Pacquiao asked for more, and didn’t get any.

“We have a fight coming up,” said Roach.

Pacquiao stepped out of the ring, and worked on the heavy bag. Again, he didn’t get any, then worked on the double-end bag, the speed ball and his abdominal exercises.

Then the day was done, and it was time for him to face his fans who’d patiently waited downstairs.

 For the fans, it was best time of the day. It was Pacquiao time.