Roach: Khan will be my new Manny

[Conrad]

Roach clearly holds Khan in high regard, quite a thing for him to come out with that imo.

I know there's a lot of Khan haters on here but Roach knows his shit and you can't argue with that...

Amir will be my new Pacquiao, says Roach (From The Bolton News)

Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach has backed Amir Khan to be his next Manny Pacquiao and rule the boxing world.
American Roach, pictured, will be in the British fighter’s corner for the fifth time on tonight when Khan (22-1, 16 KOs) defends his WBA light-welterweight title against American Paulie Malignaggi (27-3, 5 KOs) at the Theatre at Madison Square Garden.
And having guided Philippines folk hero Pacquiao to his current status as the pound for pound best fighter in the world, Roach believes Khan, 23, has the makings of being the ‘PacMan’s’ successor.

“That’s who people compare him to,” Roach said. “In Vancouver (for Khan’s training camp), my friend who owns the gym said ‘Freddie, that’s your next Manny’. I said ‘I know’.
“People tell me that and I envision that but I don’t say it too often.
“He has all the tools to do it but as Manny says to me, ‘you train me and get me ready but it’s up to me to win the fight’.
“And it’s up to Amir to go out there and perform and win the fight, so I can only do so much.”

Khan went to work with Roach at his famous Wild Card Gym in Hollywood, Los Angeles, following the only defeat of his professional career, a shock, one-punch, first-round knockout at lightweight by Breidis Prescott in September 2008.
Both trainer and fighter have seen big improvements in the maturing Khan since then as the former Olympic silver medallist has moved up to a stacked 140-pound division featuring American stars Nate Campbell and Victor Ortiz, who clash on the Khan-Malignaggi undercard, Devon Alexander and Timothy Bradley, as well as Argentina’s Marcos Maidana.
Even in that Prescott defeat, Roach sees a similar career path to Pacquiao’s rise to the top.
“Manny got knocked out twice before he was world champion. Amir was 21 when he got knocked out and he was a kid too.
“(Amir) has less room for error because at a young age he’s put himself in a very hot division, packed with talent.
“But I see it as a great opportunity to have greatness.
“Whoever wins out of those four or five guys is going to be the next pound-for-pound king, I feel.”

Roach believes that in facing slick and elusive former IBF title-holder Malignaggi, there is an ideal opportunity to showcase his fighter’s talents for the first time in front of an American audience and that bigger fights will quickly follow.
“I’m still preparing him but I definitely think he’s ready with his amateur background and we’ve come a long way. This is our fifth fight together and he’s come a long way.
“He’s a talented kid but he is young, though, and everyone thinks we’re ducking Maidana and these guys but that’s not true.
“Make that fight a megafight, let the promoters do their job and make it a big, big fight.
“Maidana, nobody really knows in America and Amir is not really well known in America so let’s build these guys up here and all over the world and they can get paid for what it’s worth.
“But it’s a beautiful place to start. Madison Square Garden. Okay, it’s not in the big house but it’s big, it’s on HBO and this is the big time.
“There’s some pressure in front of a new audience but he’s a performer and the pressure’s good for Amir. It makes him a better fighter.”

Khan said he was also boosted by Roach’s high praise of his talents.
“It gives you confidence when Freddie thinks you’re that good.
“Freddie knows how hard I train and how hard Manny trains and even if I did half of what Manny Pacquiao has done in my career I’d be a happy person.
“So it gives you a big push and a lot of buzz.”

[ElTerribleMorales]

no way in hell Kahn does half the things Pacquiao has accomplished, especially with that chandelier chin of his, sooner or later he'll have to fight someone with power and who can actually box and that will be his demise

[ono]

To be fair to Khan, he is talented. His chin is something that can't be helped, other than sorting his defence out. His chin might improve a little at 140, although until he fights someone with half decent power, we won't know. But, Roach knows his stuff and he works with Khan an awful lot. He probably has a higher skill set than Manny had at that age, but Manny has other variables that take him to such a high level.

Edit: I agree with what Roach says about Maidana. I've said the same thing. Too many people on here want to see him get knocked out in a high risk low reward fight.

[ElTerribleMorales]

thing is Manny has had the ability to adapt and continue learning, it's no sure thing that Khan will be able to do the same, Roach is acting like every fighter he now touches ends up being great, hell Vazquez was considered a good fighter while he was with Roach but yet his two biggest wins (R. Marquez) came after he dropped Roach, and honestly apart from Manny what fighters has Roach been 100% responsible for their success? Toney was already a beast at 160 & 168, Roach was able to get him re focused and end up being a threat at Cruiser and HW but in no way did he really MAKE Toney who he was, Roach is a good trainer but some people are beginning to drastically exaggerate how good he really is

[piye]

To be honest when Manny was getting beaten by nobody's who would have guessed that he's achieve what he has today? with that said this is completely possible.

[skel1983]

To be fair to Khan, he is talented. His chin is something that can't be helped, other than sorting his defence out. His chin might improve a little at 140, although until he fights someone with half decent power, we won't know. But, Roach knows his stuff and he works with Khan an awful lot. He probably has a higher skill set than Manny had at that age, but Manny has other variables that take him to such a high level.

Edit: I agree with what Roach says about Maidana. I've said the same thing. Too many people on here want to see him get knocked out in a high risk low reward fight.

The thing is ono, Maidana is not that good, Roach has got the right guy? Build them both up? This guy will get hammered by any of the top boys in the 140 division. That fight needs to be made Maidana is just another Urango.

[Hornfinger]

Roach is right. Khan is the new Pac. I can't stand either of them.

[Nameless]

Khan has undeniably great skills, great speed and power, he could go far and impress but humanly, lately he has proven how of a tool he can be. Roach probably believe he can go far and is boosting the thing to make a bit of promotion for his fighter, that's all.

[Hornfinger]

Sooner or later Khan will come a cropper, again. I don't think he'll ever be a pound for pounder. Whenever he get's close he'll get Ko'ed.

[ono]

To be fair to Khan, he is talented. His chin is something that can't be helped, other than sorting his defence out. His chin might improve a little at 140, although until he fights someone with half decent power, we won't know. But, Roach knows his stuff and he works with Khan an awful lot. He probably has a higher skill set than Manny had at that age, but Manny has other variables that take him to such a high level.

Edit: I agree with what Roach says about Maidana. I've said the same thing. Too many people on here want to see him get knocked out in a high risk low reward fight.

The thing is ono, Maidana is not that good, Roach has got the right guy? Build them both up? This guy will get hammered by any of the top boys in the 140 division. That fight needs to be made Maidana is just another Urango.

I agree about Maidana not being that good, but nobody outside of this forum really knows who he is, so it wouldn't make good sense for Khan to fight him, at least from a business point of view. Not when he can take less dangerous fights for more money and more exposure. By letting Maidana get a few more HBO appearances under his belt, at least if he keeps on winning, the fight would gather interest outside of the hardcores.

[GAME]

If Khan becomes the next guy to fight weight drained leftovers for newly invented diamond belts whilst taking Peds and running from drugs test then he will indeed be the next Manny. Lets hope we get no more.

[:::PSL:::]

Roach can't fix his chin. No one can.

[zhubin]

Is it just me...or has Roach become a complete douchebag in the past few years. He thinks that because of Manny's success he is the best trainer in the sport...i beg to differ. And he regularly talks smack now...but it always just seems out of character for him. As or Khan...no question he has talent. But to this point his biggest test has been a past prime, out of his weight class, and could not see out of one eye Barrera.

[Gandalf]

On what I have just seen, there is no chance of Khan ever achieving anything Pacquiao has. Khan will be a paper belt holder and nothing more. I refuse to consider him making the top P4P divisions or even beating fighters who I don't rate all that highly, such as Victor Ortiz. Bradley would do a proper number on him.

[doublehook2]

Well, I think Khan has improved tremendously since losing to Prescott. He has a very, very good jab that can trouble anyone out there. I think he has a decent chin. It's hard to test his chin because he's so busy with the jab. Against Prescott, he wasn't using the jab so Prescott just wound up and nailed him. If he fought Prescott again, I'd pick Khan to win a decision.

I think Khan vs Ortiz would be a great fight, but it looks like he wants Maidana next. He absolutely obliterated Paulie.