Manny Pacquiao and Freddie Roach reunite for Broner fight

Manny Pacquiao turns 40 years of age on Dec. 17, but that will not deter him from fighting again, as he defends his WBA "Regular" 147-pound title against Adrien Broner on January 19 at MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Moreover, a familiar face will be in his corner for the fight.

Pacquiao (60-7-2, 39 KO's) and Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach have reunited.

Pacquiao, boxing's only eight-division world champion revealed before a press conference Monday in Manhattan that both Buboy Fernandez and Roach will train him and work his corner for the fight against Cincinnati's Broner (33-3-1, 24 KOs, 1 NC). Fernandez was Pacquiao's head trainer for his seventh-round knockout of former titleholder Lucas Matthysse on July 15 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Fernandez will continue to serve as head trainer, while Roach will assume the role of "supervisor," according to Pacquiao.

“Me and Freddie, we have a good relationship since 2001,” Pacquiao said Monday via BoxingScene. “We don’t have problems in terms of training, sharing our knowledge about strategy, techniques in training. We don’t have problems with that.

“Buboy and Freddie, they’re a team,” Pacquiao added. “Buboy is always there. He has experience, many fights with Freddie. So I think Freddie can instruct Buboy to do something like that. Because, you know, Freddie’s not young anymore and I’m, you know, I feel pitiful with Freddie. I’m praying for him, for the healing of his sickness. My plan, my thinking is he can use Buboy to do mitts in training, supervise and watch the training, like that.

“[Roach] can rest and just watch the training, and instruct the training, strategy-wise, advise some techniques like that. Because Buboy, he knows what Freddie wants.”

Pacquiao never fired Roach, who was not angry, but disappointed that the Filipino superstar failed to personally inform him that he would not work with him for the Matthysse fight. However, Roach, 58, left the door open for Pacquiao, 39, the fighter he helped turn from a one-dimensional left-hander into a multi-dimensional beast, for a reunion.

Tickets for Pacquiao-Broner go on sale on Saturday. Tickets range in price from $100 to $1,500.