MANILA – Boxing Writers Association of America 2008 “Trainer of the Year” recipient Freddie Roach said that Amir Khan remind him of pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao.

Khan, the World Boxing Association (WBA) light welterweight champion, is “similar in many ways to a young Manny Pacquiao,” Roach told Gareth Davies of Telegraph.co.uk.

“People wrote Amir off, but, like Manny, he has so many great qualities,” said Roach, adding that Khan “has the devastating speed which Manny has which can destroy opponents.”

Khan won his first world title Saturday at his home country, Great Britain (Sunday in Manila). He defeated Andreas Kotelnik of Ukraine via unanimous decision. The judges’ scores were 120-108, 118-111 and 118-111 in favor of Khan.

Roach said Khan “never faltered from the game plan set him.” But he pointed out that the WBA light welterweight champion has a long way to go.

“We have plenty to work on with Amir, but he will get better and better,” noted Roach.

One of the things they will have to work on is how Amir deals with pressure. “We'll sit down and watch the tape and he will improve,” the American trainer assured.

Khan earlier told The Telegraph that Roach was “very crucial” to his world title victory.

“I listened to him and also Manny Pacquiao, what a great inspiration he is for making me win this fight – the sparring with him, the working out,” he added.

Khan won the lightweight silver medal in the 2004 Athens Olympics when he was 17. He also defeated a bloodied Marco Antonio Barrera last March by a fifth round technical decision.