Manny Pacquiao’s strength and conditioning coach, Justin Fortune, believes that his experiences as a former boxer made him a better trainer.

Fortune, along with trainers Buboy Fernandez and Freddie Roach, is part of the ongoing camp to prepare Pacquiao for his upcoming defense of the WBA "regular" welterweight title against

“If you have been a fighter, you know what you are talking about. You know how you can relate to your fighter because you’ve been there. If you haven’t been a fighter, it is very difficult to relate to someone when you haven’t done what they’ve done,” said Fortune to The Manila Times.

Fortune fought as a heavyweight from 1995 to 2009. Roach, like Fortune, was also a professional fighter before making the transition into a trainer.

“It’s an advantage because you understand the sport a lot because you were involved in the sport. It is a difficult and tough business. So it is much easier to relate to a fighter when you were once a fighter. As a fighter, you should have their respect.

“If you haven’t been through what they’ve been through, it is very difficult to get their respect. It is hard because it is really a hard sport. You’re trying to tell what to do after you have been punched and knocked down. If you haven’t experienced it, then you don’t really know what you are talking about.”

But Fortune also explained that being a good fighter doesn’t necessarily mean you can become a good trainer. Several top pros have made attempts to become trainers and saw failure in their post-retirement careers.

“There are unbelievably good champions but they never able to transfer what they know into training. And then, there are fighters who could have been very good trainers. It is a weird business. Some people are good fighters and some people are great trainers," Fortune said.