NEW YORK – Freddie Roach believes that Floyd Mayweather Jr. could be preparing for a long-awaited showdown with Manny Pacquiao by returning to the ring in September.
The trainer of the Filipino sensation told The Associated Press in a phone interview on Wednesday that he thinks Mayweather has agreed to fight young welterweight titleholder Victor Ortiz because his style would help get him ready for a fight against Pacquiao.
“Of course, that’s the first thing that came to my mind,” Roach said.
Ortiz and Pacquiao are both fast, high-volume punchers who tend to press the action. They are also southpaws, and Mayweather — who will be ending a 16-month layoff when he steps into the ring Sept. 17 — has rarely fought left-handed opponents during his undefeated career.
The few he has fought, Zab Judah to name one, have cause him some problems.
“I’m just figuring he’ll give us a good blueprint to fight him, how Floyd handles fighting a southpaw,” Roach said of Ortiz, who won the WBC 147-pound title with a narrow unanimous decision over Andre Berto in April, a certain candidate for Fight of the Year.
“Some left-handers have given him trouble,” Roach said. “Judah gave him trouble but couldn’t maintain the pace.
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