Top 5 Boxers in MMA Chosen by Freddie Roach and Andre Ward (Yahoo! Contributor Network)

Freddie Roach, legendary boxing trainer to Manny Pacquiao and Amir Khan was a guest on HDNet's "Inside MMA" on Monday, March 26. Freddie named his "Top 5 Boxers in MMA". Boxing champion, Andre Ward joined the panel and gave his reasons for choosing his favorite MMA fighters—who can box.

Freddie Roach & Manny Pacquiao
2009

I would have liked to see a Top 10 list. Who would you add as best boxers in MMA in positions 6-10?

5. KJ Noons

Freddie: "KJ works out at my gym. He's very dedicated. His work ethic is great. I just love his tenacity in the ring. He comes to fight and he's all about action."

4. Nick Diaz

Freddie: "Nick Diaz is one of the most exciting fighters in the world today. Great with his hands. He got a little side tracked in his last fight, but I'm looking forward to facing him against GSP because there's a lot of talk about that.

Andre: "Nick, simply put, is a beast. If I'm orthodox, I'm going to want a left-handed guy in camp to have my brain work from a different angle, from a different side. Just in terms of what he brings to us, he's a beast. His stand-up is awesome…I like Nick Diaz. The guy comes straight at you…He's proven at our gym, against other top guys, that he can hang. If he ever chose to stop fighting MMA and go to boxing, he's one of the main guys that I think could be successful."

3. BJ Penn

Freddie: "One of the best strikers I've been in the ring with. It's been quite a few years ago, I think maybe he's close to retirement now. I used to call him the James Toney of MMA bcause his weight would fluctuate quite a bit. He'll fight low weights to to heavy weights. He'll fight anyone in the world. He's a good guy to be around. A hard worker and a great striker.

2. GSP

Freddie: "One of the best guys in the world, just a real gentleman. One of the best students I've ever had. How long did he go home and practice that in front of the mirror last night? Because I show him a move, he comes back with it—he knows it the next day. You know he practiced all night in the mirror. I love that. He's a hard worker. That's what it's all about, hard work."

1. Anderson Silva

Freddie: "I had the honor of working with [Anderson] for about five or six days in a row. He told me, 'I'm pretty good at MMA, but I'm not too good at boxing.' He didn't quite say it that way (laughs). He's a real humble guy, very talented. He is one of the best guys who really understands distance and timing. He fights off the ropes a little bit. I told him that can be a little dangerous at times. I told him 'be careful', but he'll suck you in, he'll set you up. He's one of the most intelligent fighters I've ever worked with."

Andre added that he has trained with some of MMA's finest including Gilbert Melendez and Jake Shields. Andre said that he's a big fan of Urijah Faber. "All these guys are local guys that I support. I respect them. They respect us. I don't look at it as a competiton [between boxing and MMA]."

Source: "Inside MMA" on HDNet 8 pm ET Mondays and Fridays (repeat)

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Cheryl Ragsdale started out boxing and has added kicks and BJJ so she can practice MMA. She trains with Keith Florian and UFC Fighter Kenny Florian at Florian Martial Arts - follow @thatgirlisfunny

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