Freddie Roach is just a few weeks away from watching his fighter Manny Pacquiao fight Chris Algieri, but focusing on training doesn;t seem to be at the top of his list of priorities.
Roach is once again discussing Floyd Maywetaher; this time he says that he believes Amir Khan will be the first to hand Floyd a loss.
“I always thought Amir had the talent to maybe beat someone like Mayweather. I think it’s a very good fight for Amir. I give him a very good chance to win that fight,” said Roach, who is winding up WBO welterweight titleholder Manny Pacquiao’s training for his Nov. 22 bout with Chris Algieri.
“He’s fast, he’s athletic. He’s a pretty good puncher, not a great puncher. He has all the abilities in the world.”
Roach goes into further detail about why Khan matches up favorably against Mayweather:
“I like him in-and-out a little more, I like that speed,” said Roach. “He was getting in the habit of staying in the pocket a little too long. If you stay in the pocket for more than 3-4 punches you’re gonna get hit back and that’s what happened with Amir and that’s why he suffered a couple knockouts.
“Virgil Hunter, his new trainer has him holding instead of getting out of the pocket, throwing combinations and hold. He’s becoming a little bit of a boring fighter. I don’t like this style for him but that’s out of my hands at this point.”
Before Khan can think about fighting Floyd in May he must get passed Devon Alexander in December. A lacklustre performance or a loss will put Khan closer to ESPN Friday Night Fights than a Mayweather title shot.