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Roach warns Pacquiao to stay patient early on

Manny Pacquiao has been pushing his body to the limit in training, according to his trainer Freddie Roach © Getty Images

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Fight insight - Mosley set for raw deal in Vegas

Freddie Roach has urged Manny Pacquiao to refrain from being impulsive when he steps into the ring with Shane Mosley on Saturday, imploring his charge to stay patient in the early rounds.

Pacquiao, an eight-time world champion, is the overwhelming favourite to defend his WBO welterweight title when the pair clash in Las Vegas, but his trainer Roach remains wary of Mosley's ability to counter-punch.

"If Manny makes the mistake of attacking Shane without setting it up first, he will walk into a counter-shot," he said. "That's my biggest concern. When Shane is on the ropes trying to set up the counter-shot, Manny knows the move to make. He does it to me every day.

"He knows what to do when the guy is trying to sucker him into a counter-shot, and that is what Shane is going to do. That's part of his game plan. He'll counterpunch the hell out of you and he has knockout power.

"The first five rounds of this fight are very critical. The way we go about attacking Shane is going to have a lot of thought behind it. If you just walk into Shane and attack him you just walk into the fire."

Pacquiao, widely considered the pound-for-pound king, is aiming to become the first man to stop Mosley in a 54-fight career. Although a knockout isn't a pre-requisite, Roach is hoping Pacquiao can stop Mosley before the final bell sounds to tempt Floyd Mayweather Jr, who beat Mosley on points last year, into agreeing a mega fight.

"We don't go into fights looking for knockouts but if the opportunity does come, I want that to happen," said Roach. "Nobody else in the world has ever done that and when you do something no one else can, it just proves again how good you are and how dominant you are in the sport.

"That is what Manny Pacquiao is and I want to prove to Mayweather we can do something he hasn't. That is why I want to knock this guy (Mosley) out just to give him (Mayweather) another dig and maybe give him some incentive to sign that contract.

"He talks the talk but he won't sign and he won't get in the ring with us. I am tired of listening to this guy saying how he is the best fighter of all time and so forth and how much better he is than everybody. If he wants to show it, prove it."

First and foremost for Pacquiao is Mosley, and Roach admits the 39-year-old still poses a threat, even if he is past his prime.

"He's probably not the best puncher we've ever had but he's got the best speed, and speed is power," he said.

"It's the best training camp we've ever had and I think Manny is in the best shape ever. If Mosley brings his best, we're ready for his best. I don't think there is any room for an upset, but in boxing you never know. We're 100 percent ready on our end. We've done everything we can to get ready for the fight."

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