Roach Finds Sanctuary at the Wild Card
Published on: 6th September, 2009
Roach Finds Sanctuary at the Wild Card | Related News
As you walked into the Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood, California on Friday afternoon, the first thing you saw to the left on the front counter was trainer Freddie Roach intently wrapping the hands of jr. middleweight Vanes Martirosyan. But you got the sense that the look and body language on Roach has more to do than just the safety of his fighters hands.
It’s been a tough stretch for Roach who found out last Saturday afternoon that his sibling, Joey, had stunningly passed away at his home.
“It’s difficult,” admitted Roach, of the past week, where he had to fly to Las Vegas for the wake.” Just my little brother passing and going to the service and meeting my family all together. I’m not really a religious person, the funeral is today, the burial is tomorrow in Boston and I’m not going. But I paid my respects to my family in Vegas. He was 47 years old, he had the world by the balls. He lived life to the fullest and he just went to sleep and never woke up.”
There were no indication that his brothers health was flagging.
“I was with him at the Shaq show and he told me he was going to Michigan to buy a retirement home,” explained Roach, who recently trained noted hoopster Shaquille O’Neal in Las Vegas for his reality show boxing match versus Oscar De La Hoya.” He went and bought the home, came back that night, went to bed and he woke up blue is what they told me. They think maybe he had a heart-attack or something of that nature. It’s the first family member to die out of seven kids, outside of my father, of course. It irritates me a little bit, but that’s life.”
In addition to the personal loss, there is some professional strife that Roach has had to deal with. In the never-ending tug-of-war behind the scenes for influence with Manny Pacquiao, it seems that for whatever reason’ Roach has been excommunicated by those who continually hover around ‘the Pac Man’. Roach, who hasn’t spoken to his fighter in months would like to know just where they are spending the first half of this upcoming training camp. Because of a tax law that states that foreigners who spend a certain amount of time in the United States would be subject to full taxation, Pacquiao can not spend his whole camp at the Wild Card as he usually does.
“The thing is, he’ll make a decision where we’re training. Wherever he takes us, I’ll get him ready. If it’s a good situation, I know how to get him ready for a fight. I’ll do my job. If we end up in the Philippines, we end up in the Philippines. I would like to go to Vancouver. I think that’s the best place for us, but we’ll see,” said the trainer.
Despite reports to the contrary, he is still training Pacquiao, and his problems are with those who surround him.
“It’s definitely not with Manny, himself, once I get Manny in front of me and talk to him face-to-face, there will be no problems, whatsoever,” stated Roach.” People like control and being the bosses and stuff and they don’t like that I’m the boss sometimes. There’s jealousy but everything will work out. We’ll be ready for the Cotto fight. I just need to stress to Manny just how important this fight is. Because Cotto’s going to be at his best. Let’s face it, Cotto beats Manny Pacquiao, everything bad that has ever happened to him goes away.”
While Manny continues to be Manny in the Philippines, Cotto had long ago started his training camp in Florida getting prepared for their November 14Th showdown.
“That’s why I’m concerned, he’s taking it seriously,” Roach admitted.” He’ll be in the best shape of his life, he’s a bigger, stronger guy. It’s the toughest fight of Manny’s life.”
Regardless, fights come and go. Beloved brothers, are impossible to replace. Roach is back where he wants to be. Back at his gym, working with boxers, preparing them for battle, getting lost in the only world where he truly feels comfortable. This is his sanctuary.
” Yeah, it is. It’s definitely home here. Once I get involved and working, it’s my escape.”
PRESS TOUR
The four-city nation-wide press tour to promote the Pacquiao-Cotto fight begins next Thursday at noon at the brand new Yankee Stadium in New York. The public is invited.( And it may be the first and only time the general populace can actually afford to catch an event inside this joint.)
When I asked Freddie if he was going to be on the tour, he responded by saying with a laugh,” Yeah, if they don’t kick me off.”
GO EAST, YOUNG MAN?
I know there’s a lot of talk of a rematch between Juan Diaz and Paulie Malignaggi and it taking place somewhere on the East Coast. Well, here’s the thing, good luck getting Diaz’s manager, Willie Savannah to take his fighter anywhere east of the Mississippi for this fight.
And here’s what’s lost in the hysteria of that night, there is a good segment of the population that believes ‘the Baby Bull’ won that fight and most folks I talked with believe that it was a 7-5 fight, either way. But Gale Van Hoy’s ridiculously lopsided scorecard has overshadowed everything.
Malignaggi, for all his personality, has never been a big draw in his region. The rematch still draws best in the Lone Star State. Why not just ban Van Hoy, and get three out-of-state officials and a referee not named Laurence Cole and do it all over again?
BERTO?
From what I’m told the brass that handles Andre Berto isn’t that excited by the prospect of fighting underneath Shane Mosley-Joshua Clottey on December 26th. Not only are they not particularly happy with the money- because what they are slated to earn is less than what they received for bouts earlier this year against Luis Collazo and Juan Urango- but they want their man to fight sooner rather than later.
Here’s my take, I see their point. Besides, what fighter really wants to weigh-in on Christmas? But the thing is, beggars can’t be choosers and he has beco
