Roach: Struggling Horn easier to take out

BRISBANE, Australia – Now that he has seen Jeff Horn having difficulty making the welterweight limit, Freddie Roach thinks it might not take long for Manny Pacquiao to dispose of his challenger.

Roach said his marching order for Pacquiao is to pound Horn’s weight-drained body right at the opening bell Sunday at the Suncorp Stadium.

“I will tell Manny to get ready for the first round, (because) I don't think it might go past that,” Pacquiao’s longtime trainer told Filipino scribes after the weigh-in ceremony on Saturday.

“He had a lot of trouble with the weight and I think we're gonna deal with him really quick,” added Roach.

Roach was closely keeping an eye on Horn the moment the Brisbane native stepped on the scales. At first, he thought the challenger weighed beyond the welterweight limit of 147 pounds.

“It (weighing scale) was bouncing between. He was so close to being over. But it did stop on the way twice. So it was very close,” the bespectacled cornerman recalled.

Horn indeed ended up tipping in at exactly 147 pounds, bringing life to his anxious camp.

Roach, for his part, said Horn’s problems with his weight aren’t over.

“I say he struggled because I saw him grab a banana and a juice right away and started eating right away, trying to get his body healthy right away,” Roach continued.

Roach said he expects Horn to bulk up to as high as 172 pounds on fight day Sunday, which he said is good news for a naturally faster guy like Pacquiao.

“Anytime a guy puts on 10 pounds over his natural weight, it's gonna slow him down,” he said.

The key now, according to Roach, is for Pacquiao to hit Horn with shots to the body.

“I'm gonna tell Manny to put it on right away, work that body as hard as you can. Because he had a lot of trouble making weight, and he's gonna blow up. And they say he's gonna be like 172 (pounds) by fight time, but that won't help him.”