Freddie Roach the man behind Manny Pacquiao and Amir Khan
If you have Freddie Roach in your corner, chances are that you have a good shot at winning your fight. That's a statement that's easy to make for two big reasons: Roach happens to be acknowledged as one of the best boxing trainers in the world, which also allows him to pick and choose the top fighters and prospects to work with. Very few fighters lacking in talent have the privilege to have Roach acting as their second.
Roach's work has earned him plaudits from boxing pundits including being named the Trainer of the Year by the Boxing Writers Association of America on three separate occasions and inducted into both the New England and California Boxing Halls of Fame. Boxers respect Roach because of his credentials as a trainer and as a former boxer – known as “The Choir Boy” he was a popular fighter in the 1980s before learning the skills to become a trainer from his former handler, Hall of Famer Eddie Futch.
Like with many former fighter's, Roach's boxing career came at a price – he suffers from Parkinson's Disease, the same neurological disorder that has ravaged Muhammad Ali. But while he blames blows to the head in the ring for his condition, he hasn't let it impact his love for the sport. Despite making millions as a trainer, he lives in a two-room apartment above his Wild Card Boxing Gym in Los Angeles, making it easier for him to get the gym early or stay late working with a fighter.
Roach's first world champion was Virgil Hill, whom he guided to the WBA light heavyweight title in 1991. In his career, Roach has trained 17 fighters who have won world championships. However, no fighter has become as big or raised Roach's prominence as much as Manny Pacquiao, who currently stands as the greatest pound-for-pound fighter in the eyes of many observers.
Roach began working with the Pinoy fighter in 2001 and is widely credited with helping turn him from a hard-throwing but fundamentally flawed brawler into one of the fastest and most technically sound boxers of his generation. His crowning moment as Pacquiao's trainer came in December 2008 when his fighter moved up to welterweight (he had been a super featherweight just two fights before) to shock Oscar De La Hoya and send the Golden Boy into retirement.
Along with his success, Roach has become a media darling because of his inspirational story and willingness to speak openly with the press. Sometimes, this openness can lead to criticism. The recent fight between his fighter Amir Khan and Paulie Malignaggi is one example: Roach ruffled Malignaggi's feathers by predicting that Khan would win within three rounds, leading the Brooklyn-born Malignaggi to fire back with some verbal bon mots about Khan's alleged indiscretions in sending unwanted and pornographic texts to a fashion model. At the end Khan did send Paulie packing.
Recently, Freddie Roach has expanded beyond boxing and started working with MMA fighters to improve their stand-up fighting. Among the MMA fighters that Roach has worked with in the past include Anderson Silva, B.J. Penn and Tito Ortiz. Roach also trained Andrei Arlovski before his fight against heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko on January 24, 2009 and boldly predicted that the Russian champion would “get killed” if he tried to go toe-to-toe with Arlovski; however, Roach was on the losing end of a prediction for once, as Arlovski was knocked cold by a chopping right in the first round.
Despite his successes and the esteem Roach is held by the boxing community, his Wild Card Gym is still a very down-home affair – there are no fancy pieces of equipment at the gym, his brother works as a trainer and sparring partner and Roach will answer the phones if he's not busy with a fighter. It's indicative of the no-nonsense work ethic that has made Roach a favorite with boxers and others within the boxing community.
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