Roach Says They're Trying To Get Pacquiao’s Killer Instincts Back

Many claim that Pacquiao’s killer instinct has long been gone. Pacquiao’s long time trainer Freddie Roach reckons that the reason why Pacquiao’s fire and hunger in the boxing ring disappeared is because of the Filipino’s new spiritual path and they have been trying to get it back.

“When he changed religion, there were a lot of things in life that he thinks it helped him,” Roach said in an interview with On The Ropes Boxing. “He made himself a better person, but we lost a little bit of the killer instinct - I know that and we’re trying to get it back of course but the thing is, it looked better with the Algieri fight, he was a little bit more aggressive.”

Roach added that Pacquiao, who never really had any aversion towards an opponent during his celebrated boxing career, somehow dislikes Mayweather. Roach hopes that Pacquiao’s repugnance over the undefeated American fighter will be enough to trigger off the Filipino’s killer instincts to win the fight on May 2.

However, Roach has made it clear that he wasn’t really sure if his protégé will be able to knock Mayweather out. The 55-year-old trainer said that he is just pleased with how Pacquiao is shaping up ahead of the blockbuster fight on Cinco de Mayo weekend.

Pacquiao’s Faith

Pacquiao grew up as a Roman Catholic, raised by his mother Dionisia, but he followed a new spiritual path at one point in his boxing career. He became a born-again Christian which made him give up his bad vices and dedicate himself to Bible studies.

Since embracing a newfound devotion to his faith, Pacquiao has had consecutive losses in his career, including the knockout loss that he suffered against rival Juan Manuel Marquez in December 2012. Pacquiao’s mother even blamed his losses then to his decision of changing religion. She wanted Pacquiao to quit his new religion and go back to being Catholic again.

Following the fights that ended in defeat after Pacquiao changed his religion, the Filipino managed to bounce back winning the last three fights - a rematch with Timothy Bradley, Brandon Rios, and recently against previously undefeated Chris Algieri in November.

It has been more than five years since Pacquiao has scored a knockout. The last time that he was able to score a knockout victory was against Miguel Cotto in 2009. Did Pacquiao’s newfound faith really get in the way with his fighting style? Share us your thoughts.

To report problems about this article or leave feedback, email r.corpuz@IBTimes.com.au.