Manny Pacquiao: Freddie Roach's Arrogance Will Hurt Pac-Man vs. Bradley

Manny Pacquiao already has enough pressure on his shoulders as he prepares to do battle with Timothy Bradley on June 9. The last thing he needs is Freddie Roach running his mouth about what his fighter is going to do. 

That is exactly what Roach is doing, just one week before Pacquiao looks to redeem himself after a lackluster performance against Juan Manuel Marquez last November. 

Speaking to ESPN, Roach said that Pacquiao's performance against Marquez is going to make him want to go out there and prove he is the best boxer in the world. 

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"He has a lot of confidence and I think he knows he has something to prove because people are asking, 'Is he all done?' after the last fight, when we had a little bit of a poor performance. That's gonna get him a little more motivated, and he's going to go out there and prove to the people he's still the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world."

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While you have to admire Roach's desire to convince everyone that Pacquiao is still better than Floyd Mayweather, his timing makes little sense. 

Pacquiao's stock has been sliding since that fight with Marquez. He has talked about retirement a lot lately, as well, and his burgeoning political career could drastically alter his future plans. 

Roach could be trying to motivate his fighter a little more, but there is so much at stake for Pacquiao in this fight that he doesn't need anyone else speaking out about what he is going to do. 

Now, with Roach's words and the already-immense burden on Pacquiao, anything less than the most dominant performance of Pacquiao's career is not going to be good enough. He is not the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world right now, but that doesn't mean that should be his goal. 

All Pacquiao has to focus on is winning and rebuilding the reputation that took a hit after the Marquez fight. Any other accolades that might come from defeating Bradley are secondary. He doesn't need to have his trainer running around talking about what is going to happen. 

Boxers shouldn't go into a fight feeling like they have to show the world how great they are—it should be all about doing what it takes to win. Roach's words have made it so anything less than a Pacquiao knockout—or at least a 12-round destruction—is not going to be good enough. 

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