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Manny Pacquiao could be gloving up in a ring in nine months, Freddie Roach told me on Tuesday, in NYC, for a Miguel Cotto vs. Daniel Geale press conference, held at BB King’s.

“Manny’s doing fine, he’s on 30 days’ isolation, he can’t move his arm for 30 days,” the trainer said. After 30 days, he will come from the Philippines to America to get that right shoulder, which suffered a tear in training for his May 2 clash against Floyd Mayweather Jr., assessed and to do rehab.

And will he go in tough, or take a quote unquote easy one? “Nah, right back in the deep water,” said Roach.

Probably too early to talk who … but let’s do it anyway.

What about, say, Paul Malignaggi?

Not a bad scrap … but Roach said he didn’t want to give Paulie that honor.

Why not? He said he got turned off by Paulie’s yapping in the last year or so. To the point, Roach said, that he told trainer Eric Brown he didn’t want Paulie coming to the Wild Card Gym. Roach said he passed the info on because he didn’t want to maybe get physical with Malignaggi. I passed on that tidbit to one of Paulie’s guys, and invited the pride of Bensonhurst to respond, if he so chooses.

Roach said Paulie used to be a friend, but all that’s water under the bridge … “Manny will kill Paulie … it’s like taking candy from a baby,” he said.

And how much longer will Manny soldier on? Manny still loves the sport, “I think he’s got a couple fights left in him,” the trainer said. One could be a Mayweather rematch … but Freddie said he thinks Manny probably needs to beat a good foe first.

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