MANILA, Philippines – Stressing that his ward doesn’t back down from challenges, Freddie Roach has welcomed a showdown between Manny Pacquiao and undefeated rising star Terence Crawford.
Speaking to Ryan Burton of boxingscene.com, Roach said Pacquiao – who currently campaigns at the welterweight division (147 pounds) – can slide back to junior welterweight (140 pounds) to make the fight happen.
And Crawford, who holds the WBC and WBO junior welterweight championships, is considered the best fighter in the division.
“I like the fight at 140 but he (Pacquiao) hasn't fought at 140 in a long time. I think he will be a bit quicker and a bigger puncher but he's been at 147 for so long so we will see,” said Roach.
Indeed, the last time Pacquiao fought as a junior welterweight was in 2009 when he knocked out Ricky Hatton to become the king of the weight class. The Filipino icon, however, immediately left the division to pursue bigger fights up north.
But Roach has insisted that Pacquiao’s best weight is at 140 pounds, and a duel with Crawford would be the most appealing bout in the division.
The 29-year-old Crawford boosted his case for a clash with Pacquiao when he impressed in his most recent fight against John Molina Jr. early this month, scoring a lopsided TKO win.
Roach, for his part, was among those impressed by Crawford, saying the young fighter will likely get a shot at Pacquiao if Floyd Mayweather Jr. decides to stay retired.
“(Getting a win) always puts you closer to a Manny Pacquiao fight. Manny wants to keep fighting and if we don't get the Mayweather fight, we want to fight the best guys out there,” Pacquiao’s longtime cornerman added.
Pacquiao is expected to fight twice in 2017 but has so far not named anyone other than Mayweather as his preferred opponent.
Roach said his ward only wants the tough fights.
“We don't want easy fights. We will fight anyone. We want to fight anyone in the top 10,” he said.