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Pacquiao-Mosley won't go the distance - Roach

Freddie Roach: 'I hope I can do this until the day I die' © Getty Images

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Freddie Roach says he knew Manny Pacquiao was something special the moment he first met the Filipino back in 2001.

As Pacquiao prepares to take on Shane Mosley in Las Vegas on Saturday, Roach warned his charge that Mosley is capable of a knockout but predicted the fight will be won by the ninth round.

Roach recalls the day that "changed [his] life forever" when Pacquiao walked into his Wild Card gym in Los Angeles.

"I'd caught the punches of a lot of good fighters - but Manny showed something else," Roach told the Guardian. "Some guys are heavy-handed. Some guys are fast. But Manny has them both and that's why his punches are so explosive. That day he was setting off firecrackers in my mitts. There was so much explosiveness there, so much snap and fizz."

The only boxer to have won world titles in eight different divisions between flyweight and light middleweight, Pacquiao has already cemented his place in the history books. But Roach insists the Filipino has been "working his ass off" ahead of Saturday's bout - as Pacquiao bids to become the first man to knock out Mosley.

"Shane loves guys who come at him. Manny will come at him and Shane is a great counterpuncher with knockout power," Roach said. "That's why Manny respects him and has been working his ass off.

"Mosley has never been knocked out but I would like to make a statement in this fight. It's a difficult task but the key to knocking out Mosley is going to the body early. If we do that then I think we'll stop him in eight or nine rounds."

Roach, 51, has lived with Parkinson's disease since his late 20s, but he insists he will never retire from the sport.

"Boxing gets in your blood and you just can't quit," Roach said. "I hope I can do this until the day I die. Last week I went 15 rounds with Manny on the pads and I felt good. I can still do it it it would be the end. If I couldn't work with the mitts. I just hope that day never comes."

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