If Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. are unable to reach a deal for a 2010 clash, Pacquiao's trainer Freddie Roach says the Filipino fighter should retire and walk away from boxing while he's still on top. He admits that he would rather have Pacquiao beat Miguel Cotto to capture the WBO welterweight title on November 14 - and then beat Mayweather in a career-ending fight.

“If he retires after this (Cotto) fight I’ll be fine with that also,” Roach told Dennis Principe of the Philippine Daily Inquirer. “If negotiations with Mayweather fail and Manny wins against Cotto, he’ll be having seven world titles. Nobody has done that before, so there’s nothing else to prove.”

“Even though I’d be losing my best fighter, I would love to see him retire on top of the world. A lot of people tried to get rid of me along the way but not Manny Pacquiao. He’s been very loyal to me and I to him. We’ve had a great relationship and we’re going to be friends for life, that’s for sure.”

Roach will not allow Pacquiao to hang around for too long and become a gatekeeper for younger fighters who are coming up in the ranks. A scenario that happens to some of the best fighters near the end.

“I’ve seen many sad stories about fighters staying around too long and end up getting beat and being the stepping stone [of others]. I won’t allow that to happen because he is such a great kid,” said Roach.