Freddie Roach was quoted as saying that he ranks Manny Pacquiao as the number one pound for pound fighter in the world. That came as no surprise after the monumental assault that Pacquiao put on boxing during the last two years.
The surprise was in the fact that Roach put Edwin Valero at number four. Roach's reasoning was that Valero had a 25 and 0 record with 25 knockouts. But Freddie rates fighters that he sees as talented. One would have to believe that somewhere along the line he has seen that Valero may indeed be special.
Knowing what we know about the world's number one trainer, it is reasonable to believe that given the chance to train someone on his list, he probably would.
The fact that he he ranked Valero so high speaks volumes for Edwin. If Edwin Valero can get his personal life under control, he may just be able to be that force in boxing that he longs to be.
How does Freddie Roach and Edwin Valero connect, you may ask. It is all in the hands of Manny Pacquiao. Pacquiao and Roach have had their differences over the last few months, but don't let that fool you. There is a huge amount of respect and admiration that they have for each other. They are like father and son. And like all fathers and sons, disagreements will happen.
Valero's style is very reminiscent of a younger Pacquiao. But the real reason that a future could be in the offering is Manny Pacquiao. Pacquiao is possibly the busiest man, let alone fighter, in the world today. He is an actor, a singer, a spokesman, an ambassador, an icon and last but not least, a boxer.
Now he wants to add the job of politician to his resume. It is a job that most people don't want him to win. But if he does it would be hard to imagine him having time left for boxing.
The other scenario is that should he beat Miguel Cotto, he would then possibly face Floyd Mayweather next year. After a Mayweather bout, win or lose, it is very likely that Manny would take a break from the ring. It could be permanent or just long enough for him to catch his breath while boxing finds him another worthy challenger.
If one or all of the above happen then Roach would have to make his own career decision. His Parkinson's is not getting better. So if Manny goes then Freddie may decide to ride off into the sunset with him.
If he stays, he could focus on training Amir Khan. Roach believes in his fighter, but experts still believe Khan's chin will be his downfall.
The other road could find Roach and Valero hooking up. This is not always a trainer-boxer decision. Sometimes a promoter will step in to be sure his cash cow has evey possible advantage he can have, including the best trainer.
Manny Pacquiao will make a life changing decision in 2010. His decision could possibly be a career defining moment for three of the biggest names in boxing.
Other Norfolk Boxing Examiner articles:
Is the Super Six one bad decision away from a mega mess? http://www.examiner.com/x-8557-Norfolk-Boxing-Examiner~y2009m10d29-Is-the-Super-Six-one-bad-decision-away-from-a-mega-mess
Time for Manny Pacquiao to make boxing priority number one http://www.examiner.com/x-8557-Norfolk-Boxing-Examiner~y2009m10d27-Time-for-Manny-Pacquiao-to-make-boxing-priority-number-one
Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto must brace for the most violent of storms http://www.examiner.com/x-8557-Norfolk-Boxing-Examiner~y2009m10d23-Manny-Pacquiao-and-Miguel-Cotto-must-brace-for-the-most-violent-of-storms
Pacquiao, Cotto hype machine at full speed http://www.examiner.com/x-8557-Norfolk-Boxing-Examiner~y2009m10d16-Pacquiao-Cotto-hype-machine-at-full-speed
Pacquiao-Cotto winner will be determined by footwork http://www.examiner.com/x-8557-Norfolk-Boxing-Examiner~y2009m10d15-PacquiaoCotto-winner-will-be-determined-by-footwork
Manny Pacquiao and Freddie Roach: Building the perfect beast http://www.examiner.com/x-8557-Norfolk-Boxing-Examiner~y2009m10d11-Manny-Pacquiao-and-Freddie-Roach-Building-the-perfect-beast
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