Manny Pacquiao is planning on returning to the ring in nine months according to his trainer Freddie Roach, and he doesn't plan on easing the former WBO welterweight champion back with a tune-up fight.
"Nah, right back in the deep water," Roach told Ring TV. Pacquiao suffered a torn rotator cuff while training for his "Fight of the Century" vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr., which he lost by a wide unanimous decision on all three scorecards.
Roach didn't have an opponent in mind, but said Pacquiao would likely have to beat someone significant before he could think about a rematch with Mayweather. By then, Mayweather will likely have retired from boxing. Pacquiao, 37, is expected to fight several more times before he hangs up his gloves.
One grudge match brought up to Roach was a fight vs. Paulie Malignaggi, who raised suspicions of Pacquiao using steroids to rise through multiple weight classes and earn titles. Roach dismissed it; he acknowledged telling one of Malignaggi's associates that he did not want Malignaggi back at the Wild Card Gym, but said that fighting him was too great a mismatch.
"Manny will kill Paulie ... it's like taking candy from a baby."
At welterweight there are several appealing opponents for Pacquiao. If Amir Khan can't secure a fight vs. Mayweather, Pacquiao is likely his second choice. He could also target Danny Garcia if Garcia moves to 147 pounds. Garcia is someone Roach has brought up by name before as a possible Pacman foe.
"I like that fight. His Dad's a little bit crazy - he's my friend and a good guy - but he's just doing what he's supposed to do, he's taking guys out of their element," said Roach. "He talks a lot of s**t and I think that's honestly how they beat Amir Khan."
Pacquiao could also move down to 140 pounds, where he might regain some power. At junior welterweight he could take on Ruslan Provodnikov or Lucas Matthysse, two flawed power punchers, or rising star Terence "Bud" Crawford.
[Ring TV]
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