Although Pacquiao has begun preparing for Floyd Mayweather, he sent his trainer to Macau to help gym-mate Shiming first, writes John Dennen
ALTHOUGH Manny Pacquiao is already in Los Angeles at the Wild Card gym preparing for his massive unification battle with Floyd Mayweather on May 2, the Filipino’s trainer is currently in Macau to help another of his boxers, Zou Shiming attempt to win a world title. In fact Roach is out in China under Manny Pacquiao’s orders.
“I was home and [Manny] called me and told me in the Philippines it’s a little bit crazy, there’s too many people, I can’t train,” Freddie related. “So I said come early to America and he said okay. That was on Friday or Saturday and he was coming in on Sunday and I told him I’ll see you Sunday or Monday at the gym and he says, ‘No, no, you have to go to Shiming’s fight.’ I said no I have Marvin [Somodio] covering it, he’s okay, he’s covered.”
But Pacquiao, despite the magnitude of his own fight was insistent. “He said no Freddie, Shiming needs you there to win the fight. He said go to the Shiming fight. I said no Manny we’ve got a big fight coming up, it’s really important that we’re together. But he won the argument. He told me to come here and help Shiming and me and Marvin can do our best to get him to win a world title,” Roach revealed.
“Manny Pacquiao is like the nicest guy in the world. He actually told me to go. He said Shiming is a better fighter when you’re in the corner. So go to the fight.
“You don’t see that around fighters but Manny’s a gentleman.”

EXCLUSIVE Manny Pacquiao made Freddie Roach go to Macau to help Zou Shiming