Freddie Roach wants Manny Pacquiao to fight on
Sunday 10 April 2016 12:26, UK
Manny Pacquiao waved farewell to boxing with a dominant points win over Timothy Bradly, but trainer Freddie Roach would like to see him fight on.
Pacquiao knocked down Bradley twice on his way to a unanimous decision at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on Saturday night.
The 37-year-old said afterwards he was retiring to spend more time with his family before concentrating on his political career in the Philippines, but admitted he was "50-50" about his decision.
"I would like to see him fight again, yes," said Roach, while stressing he would back Pacquiao whatever he decided.
"We've had a great 15 years together. If he retires, I'll be happy for him. That's kind of up to him," Roach said.
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Pacquiao, who has won world tiles from flyweight to super welterweight since turning professoinal at 16, showed no signs of ring rust in his first fight since undergoing shoulder surgery in the wake of defeat to Floyd Mayweather in May.
"I know he's in physical shape to keep fighting- his speed is good, his legs are good, his work ethic is great," added Roach.
"He could continue to fight on, but if he retires and spends more time with his family and he enjoys life, and has something to fall back on, then I'll be 100 per cent behind him."
Fighter-turned-trainer Roach - who was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease 26 years ago after fighting "maybe two or three" bouts too many - admits he wonders whether Pacquiao will be haunted by regret at his decision to hang up his gloves.
"You know, it's a difficult sport to quit, it's really, really hard to retire and I think he hasn't realized that yet. But he will soon," added Roach.
"We talked about it being his last pro fight and I said 'Go out with a bang, let's look good doing it.' And he did that.
"I thought at moments tonight he looked better than he has done in a really long time. When I see Manny aggressive like that - that's the best Manny Pacquiao.
"I saw him smiling quite a lot in the ring tonight and that just tells me how much he loves the sport."
