“Don’t Fight Those Guys”: Manny Pacquiao’s Coach Reacts to Rolly Romero’s Challenge With Major Career Advice

Rolando ‘Rolly’ Romero is the man of the hour right now! Despite being pushed aside as the underdog, the 29-year-old shocked the world earlier this month in Times Square by dropping Ryan Garcia in the second round en route to a unanimous decision win. However, after he expressed his desire for future endeavors in the ring, he was given a stern warning against going through with it by Manny Pacquiao‘s coach.

After his shocking victory over the Victorville native, ‘Rolly’ was asked by The Ring about his future in the sport. When pressed whether he prefers to challenge other title holders in the division like Jaron Ennis, Mario Barrios, or Brian Norman Jr., the Las Vegas native revealed his intention to fight someone else entirely, and no, it’s not a rematch with Ryan Garcia. Instead, he wanted to square off against the Filipino boxing legend.

“Honestly, I don’t think [Ennis is] going to be at 147 much longer,” Romero said. “He’s a bigger kid. Ennis is a tremendous fighter. I’m not going to take anything away from him. But it’s not a massive fight. There are so many bigger fights for me. I’ll fight [Pacquiao]. He’s coming back for a certain reason. It’s still a legacy fight for me.” Pacquiao is scheduled to fight Barrios on July 19, 2025, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Despite that, Romero remained adamant about facing the eight-division champion. Now, Justin Fortune, Pacquiao’s long-time strength and conditioning coach who also trained Ryan Garcia for the Romero fight, has warned Romero from fighting Pacquiao or Ennis, for that matter. “I like ‘Rolly’ a lot,” he told Fight Hype in a recent interview during an outdoor training session with ‘PacMan.’ “But stay the hell away from Ennis, and stay the hell away from Pacquiao.”

March 15, 2019 – Las Vegas, NV, USA – Rolly Romero pretende avanzar de manera acelerada en el boxeo. Foto tomada el 9 de marzo en Las Vegas. Admiro a los boxeadores cubanos de los 80, no como los de ahora que tiran manotazos, afirma prospecto del ring – ZUMAm67_ 20190315_zaf_m67_002 Copyright: xJorgexEbrox

“I mean, Ennis is a beast, and so is Manny. Like you don’t fight those guys,” he continued during the interview. “Get those easier fights, you know. The thing is to make money and get the hell out with your brains intact.” Although ‘Pac-Man’ has made a return to the sport and earned the No. 5 spot in the WBC rankings, questions remain about whether he’ll continue fighting at 46. Both fans and experts have expressed concern over his performance in the upcoming bout.

This concern seems to have especially affected one of Pacquiao’s well-wishers.

Bob Arum isn’t thrilled about Manny Pacquiao fighting at 46

Manny Pacquiao and Bob Arum have worked together for most of Pacquiao’s career. One could argue, Arum guided the eight-division boxing legend to super stardom over the course of their time together. Naturally, Arum is concerned about his former star fighter’s well-being, as the 46-year-old prepares to fight a champion 16 years his junior.

Boxing: Pacquiao vs Ugas, Aug 21, 2021 Las Vegas, Nevada Manny Pacquiao is pictured before the start of a world welterweight championship bout against Yordenis Ugas at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports, 21.08.2021 21:09:21, 16621698, Manny Pacquiao, Boxing, T-Mobile Arena PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xStephenxR.xSylvaniex 16621698

“It seems really questionable that, at his age, he would put himself at risk by going into the ring with a champion fighter,” Arum said. What makes it worse is that ‘Pac-Man’ hasn’t fought in four years since being defeated by Yordenis Ugas in 2021. This led Arum to draw parallels with George Foreman and Bernard Hopkins, who were younger and more active than ‘Pac-Man’ during their historic wins. 

Still, he praised the Filipino icon’s spirit. “If anybody can do it, he can do it… I will certainly be rooting for him.”

That said, even though Manny Pacquiao is 46, coach Fortune thinks Rolly Romero would lose a potential fight against ‘Pac-Man.’ However, is that really the case? Does Pacquiao still have the dog in him to beat Romero? 

The post “Don’t Fight Those Guys”: Manny Pacquiao’s Coach Reacts to Rolly Romero’s Challenge With Major Career Advice appeared first on EssentiallySports.