Trainer expects Pacquiao to return in July

MANILA – Esteemed boxing coach Freddie Roach said that at this point of Manny Pacquiao’s career, it would be unwise to settle in fighting lesser-known boxers.

Boxers like Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Juan Manuel Marquez seemed to be unavailable and Pacquiao’s supposed superfight with Amir Khan has fallen through, so Roach said he would be better off going after a pound-for-pound fighter like Ukrainian star Vasyl Lomachenko.

“I'd like Manny (versus) Lomachenko at maybe catch weight,” said Roach in Fight Hub.

Lomachenko is the reigning WBO super featherweight champion, who has racked an astounding record of 396-1 as an amateur. He currently ranks number 6 in Ring Magazine’s pound-for-pound list.

Pacquiao is now out of the mythical list, but is the world’s only eight-division boxing champion with a professional record of 59 wins and 6 losses. He is also the reigning WBO welterweight king.

• READ: Vasyl Lomachenko OK to fight Pacquiao, but there's a catch

Lomachenko, on the other hand, only has 7 wins and 1 defeat as a professional.

“That will be a great fight, (Lomachenko) might be the better pound-for-pound fighter today but I think Manny can still compete at that level,” said Roach.

Although he didn’t mention Jeff Horn, the Aussie fighter being pressed by Bob Arum as Pacquiao’s next foe, Roach said he doesn’t want to see his prized pupil fighting “non-elite fighters.”

“Manny is toward the end of his career, yes, but he's got a lot of good fight left in him,” he said.

“If we want to continue to fight, we want to continue to fight top level, we want the best guys out there.”

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