Pacquiao/Mayweather Undercard: Roach vs. Roger?

It's clear things are going to heat up between the Mayweather and Pacquiao camps as the New Fight of the Century approaches (I'm thinking about just calling in NFOTC). While Pacquiao doesn't talk much Freddie Roach lets his voice be heard, and we all know about the battling Mayweathers. It's going to be loud, lewd, and hilarious, but what if it gets physical? Freddie Roach, Parkinson's and all, is prepared.

On Boxingscene.com he's quoted as saying of Floyd's trainer, Roger Mayweather:

"He says he would knock me out, he was a better fighter than me, I know that, but I'd beat him now! If we did fight now I'd win, but it would be on the street. If he get's disrespectful about me he's gonna have a fight on his hands. It will be exciting. I won't that that **** from him. He didn't have that good a chin, we know that- but he could punch though.

Freddie Roach is right; Roger Mayweather could punch. He had a long and powerful right hand that put many fighters to sleep. He even managed to knock down the iron chinned defensive genius Pernell Whitaker. A look at 1:40 in the video above leaves no doubt Roger had some serious pop in his hands.

But how would he do against Roach? Let's look at the tale of the tape.

Roger Mayweather:
Age: 48
Height: 5' 7 1/2
Stance:Orthodox
Reach: 73 1/2
Highest Fighting Weight: Welter
Pro Record: 59-13 35 KO's

Roger won belts in two divisions and challenged in four; between super featherweight and welterweight. He still has incredible handspeed as we can see from his work on the mitts with Floyd. We also know he isn't one to run from a scrap. Roger has had several encounters with the law in recent years following physical altercations. The most recent example was a still unresolved case of alleged battery against a female boxer in Las Vegas.



Roger fought at the highest levels, though he did lose to most of the elite fighters he faced. His exceptional opposition included Pernell Whitaker, Julio Cesar Chavez, and Kostya Tszyu. He was a really good fighter, but he could be had. That chin of his was fragile, as you can see above.

Freddie Roach:
Age: 49
Height: 5'5
Stance: Orthodox
Highest Fighting Weight: Lightweight
Pro Record: 39-13 15 KO's


Freddie was super-tough, an all-action battler, but he never fought at close to the level that Roger Mayweather managed to. The most distinguished belt he contested for was something called the WBC Continental Lightweight Americas Title. He did face some notable opposition, such as Greg Haugen, Bobby Chacon, and Hector Camacho, but generally had much less success and fought at smaller weights than did Mayweather.

But Roach was a real scrapper, the type of tough guy you wouldn't want to mess with. I remember reading an interview with James Toney, who when talking about why he decided to train with Roach said that the little man challenged him to a fight after Toney was running his mouth. James is a big man, and that's all you need to know about Freddie's instincts when it comes to a rumble.

So what if they actually did go at it on the streets? Who knows, but I'll tell you this, it would be a short fight. Freddie Roach might have parkinson's, but he's been known to take a wayward shot from Pacquiao every now and then. Freddie didn't have huge power, but with his ungloved fist the first landed punch on Roger Mayweather could be the only one needed.

All this is for fun, of course. What I'm really anticipating is a war of words. Both Freddie and Roger are heavyweights in the smack-talking division, and I expect that one to go to a split-decision after a full fifteen rounds

Source: sportingnews.com