Trainer Freddie Roach is convinced that Manny Pacquiao will get his first knockout in years after seeing Jessie Vargas’ fight tapes.
Roach said the reigning WBO welterweight champion is not on Pacquiao’s level both as a fighter and a commercial draw.
“I know (Vargas has) won a couple of world titles and so forth, but I’ve never seen him fight on TV,” said the esteemed coach in an interview with On The Ropes Boxing.
The last time Pacquiao won by stoppage was when he beat Puerto Rican bruiser Miguel Cotto in 2009 at a catch weight of 145 pounds.
But Roach believes the fleet-footed Filipino will be able to stop a young gun like Vargas.
“I don’t think he’s in Pacquiao’s class and I’ve watched tape on him and I do think we’re going to get our first knockout at 147 pounds,” he said.
One of the factors that could lead to a stoppage win, Roach said, was the hunger Pacquiao showed during training.
“He’s being more explosive and being more aggressive than he has been in the past,” Roach said.
“I think he finally realizes that he can’t just tune up to win fights, he has to knock people out to be impressive and for people to want to watch him more. We had a great run back in the day and that’s what made him famous and made him a great fighter. I think he wants to be that guy again.”
In the Philippines, the fight can be seen live, commercial-free and in high definition on November 6, 9 a.m. on SKY Sports Pay-Per-View.
In the Middle East, the fight will be shown on November 6 at 4 a.m. in KSA and 5 a.m. in Dubai, live (with replays) via TFC.tv. It is also available via OSN, ELife and Mozaic TV powered by Ooredoo.
In the US, it will be shown on November 5 live, distributed by Top Rank PPV.
For more sports coverage, visit the ABS-CBN Sports website.
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