FILE – Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach trains with Manny Pacquiao. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines — Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach doesn’t think Conor McGregor will last long in the boxing ring with Manny Pacquiao.
Roach believes the ex-UFC superstar will just be a cakewalk for the Filipino ring legend the way former boxing champion Ricky Hatton was when he fought Pacquiao in 2009.
Hatton got demolished by Pacquiao, who scored a one-punch knockout in the second round of their light welterweight clash.
“If this is true, @MannyPacquiao will have an easier time with you @TheNotoriousMMA than when he fought @HitmanHatton,” posted Roach on Twitter, quoting McGregor’s tweet.
McGregor tweeted Saturday that he is “boxing Pacquiao next year in the Middle East.”
Pacquiao’s special assistant Jayke Joson on Saturday also released a statement regarding a McGregor fight in 2021 while adding that “a huge portion” of the eight-division champion’s earnings from the McGregor fight will be donated to those affected by the coronavirus pandemic in the Philippines.
Rumors about a crossover bout between Pacquiao and McGregor began three years ago after McGregor made his boxing debut and lost to Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Speculations heightened after Pacquiao signed with Paradigm Sports Management, which also represents McGregor, last February.
Sean Gibbons, president of Manny Pacquiao Promotions, also told AFP that a fight with McGregor is “one of the fights being considered” as Pacquiao plots his ring return.