If he gets knocked out by Rios Roach: Pacquiao must retire

CEBU, Philippines - Celebrated American trainer Freddie Roach said there is no other way for Manny Pacquiao than to hang up his gloves for good if he gets knocked out by Brandon Rios in their highly-anticipated November 24 bout at the Cotai Arena in Macau, China.

In an earlier interview, Rios said Juan Manuel Marquez’s brutal sixth-round knockout of Pacquiao last December is still fresh in his mind and that he is planning to do the same to the Filipino ring star.

If that is going to happen, Roach said it's the best time for Pacquiao to retire.

"It's over, 100 percent [if Pacquiao is knocked out by Rios]," Roach said in a report by Kevin Iole of Yahoo! Sports. "We have a deal. When I tell him it's over, he'll say it's over and that's it. He's pretty loyal with his words and if that happens, it will be the end."

Pacquiao is coming off back-to-back defeats, but Roach believes that age factor has nothing to do about it. Before his stunning loss to Marquez, Pacquiao lost a highly questionable split decision to the undefeated American fighter Tim Bradley.

Pacquiao is just three weeks away from his 35th birthday when climbs up the ring to slug it out with Rios, but Roach insisted he doesn't see any signs that age has slowed down the fighting congressman from Sarangani Province.

"None whatsoever, and I'd tell you if I did," Roach said in the same internet report. "The thing is, people look at the losses and they think the reason is that he's getting old. That's not the case, not from what I see. Look, we all thought he beat Bradley, so throw that out. And in the Marquez fight, I thought he was doing well and was looking like he was going to win by knockout when he made a mistake and ran into a shot."

Roach, however, strongly feels that Pacquiao is at the crucial stage of his career and that he must flash the old, deadly form and kindred spirit that catapulted him to a global phenomenon.

"Manny needs to show me a little more," Roach said. "That's why I think a tremendous performance at this point will help a lot. We're at a crucial point in his career. I don't see that he looks like he's getting too old. His work ethic remains great. I'm his friend more than I'm his coach, and I'm not going to let anything happen."

"The minute I think he doesn't have it, when I see that he's not the Manny Pacquiao of old, I'll tell him that's it. I don't think he's at that point, and I think you'll see him look good in this one, but this is a very important fight for him."

Roach, on the other hand, divulged that Pacquiao still wants to fight the unbeaten pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather, Jr. He concedes though that Mayweather has been creating distance between them.

"I think the gap is widening, I don't agree with that," Roach said. "But that being said, I've told Manny, 'Knock this guy [Rios] out in good fashion and the Mayweather fight comes back real quick."

"Manny still wants the fight. We know that Mayweather turned it down, but the truth is this: Mayweather has four fights left after this next one [on Sept. 14 against Canelo Alvarez] and I'm not sure there are four guys in the world left for him to fight without Manny Pacquiao being one of them," added the amiable ring strategist.

Meanwhile, Pacquiao will start his promotional tour for the Rios bout late this month. He willdo a media blitz in Macau then head to Beijing and Shanghai before going to the United States, with stops in Bristol, Connecticut, New York and Los Angeles to end the tour. (FREEMAN)