Manny Pacquiao’s religion took away his ‘killer instinct’ – but his aggression is back for Keith Thurman fight
- ‘For a while he would tell me he just needs to beat his opponents and not knock them out,’ says trainer Freddie Roach
- But Thurman has taken jibes at Pacquiao’s faith – ‘when Manny’s aggressive, he’s a much better fighter’
Manny Pacquiao’s devout religious beliefs have eradicated his old “killer instinct”, according to Freddie Roach. But the Hall of Fame trainer thinks Keith Thurman’s trash talk – including jibes at Pacquiao’s faith – has helped bring back the Filipino boxing icon’s aggressive streak.
The unbeaten American, 30, repeatedly said at last month’s press conference in New York that he is going to retire 40-year-old Pacquiao (61-7-2, 39 KOs) when they meet on July 20 in Las Vegas.
“Manny’s work ethic is great,” Roach said in Los Angeles, where he is preparing Pacquiao for the fight. “He works hard and is incredibly dedicated. But he doesn’t have the killer instinct that he used to have. I think religion took that away from us.
“For a while he would tell me that he just needs to beat his opponents and not knock them out. But he doesn’t say that any more. He’s getting more aggressive.