‘All Time’ Manny Pacquiao will humble ‘One Time’ Keith Thurman, trainer warns
- Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach thinks ‘many writers’ are backing the wrong fighter for Las Vegas showdown
- Pacquiao’s long-time coach says his protégé has pushed himself to the limit in training camp
Freddie Roach has warned that Keith Thurman is likely to “eat humble pie” when his protégé, Manny Pacquiao, takes care of his latest opponent in Saturday’s welterweight showdown in Las Vegas.
The Hall of Fame coach is somewhat surprised that fans and many sports journalists are picking the 30-year-old unbeaten American to defeat the Philippines icon for Thurman’s WBA super welterweight title at the MGM Grand – even though Pacquiao is bookmakers’ odds-on favourite.
Few people know the eight-division world champion Pacquiao better than Roach and the 59-year-old made his feelings known as the fighting senator from Sarangani wound down his training in Los Angeles before heading for the bright lights of Vegas to begin final preparations for the year’s biggest bout.
“Thurman may be 10 years younger, but Manny still has extraordinary talent and an era’s worth of experience against Hall of Fame opposition,” said Roach.
“The betting action on this fight reflects that. I have done a lot of interviews. All the media seem to be picking Thurman to win. They consider this a battle between Generation X and Generation Geritol. But we’re talking about Manny Pacquiao. He pushed himself to the limit in this training camp. Youth will be served a big slice of humble pie on Saturday night.”