MACAU—Don’t blame Freddie Roach for asserting that Manny Pacquiao’s sparring partners are better than Chris Algieri.
He honestly feels that way.
Roach swears Viktor Postol would have been a more difficult opponent for Pacquiao than Algieri this Sunday.
Like Algieri, the 6-foot Postol is unbeaten in 26 bouts with 11 knockouts.
“He’s taller than Algieri and he has a better left hand,” Roach said in an earlier interview.
Among the four sparring partners brought in by Roach to General Santos City, Roach said Postol simulated Algieri’s style the best.
Of course, the other three—Mike Jones, Stan Martyniouk and Jose Ramirez—were able to contribute in preparing Pacquiao for Algieri.
Jones, also a 6-footer, totes a 26-2 record while the 5-foot-10 Martyniouk totes a 13-2 slate. Ramirez, also unbeaten in 10 fights with 8 knockouts to boot, joined the camp last.
Roach said they were able to cover all the bases due to the skills of these fighters who felt the sting and power of Pacquiao’s punches.
Team Algieri also didn’t scrimp on sparmates, particularly on knockout artist Jose Zepeda and five-time world champion Zab Judah.
Zepeda is 21-0 with 18 knockouts, while Judah, though already 37, totes a 42-win, 9-loss card.
Tim Lane, Algieri’s chief trainer, claims that on their last day of sparring in Las Vegas, Algieri took on three fighters for 12 rounds and won every single round.
Of course, not one of them can imitate Pacquiao. None of them is as fast as Pacquiao either.
And there lies the difference.
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