Hall of Fame inductee and legendary trainer, Freddie Roach, is confident of another knockout win for his multi-awarded pupil, Manny Pacquiao.
Pound-for-pound king Pacquiao is set to take on three-time former world champion Antonio Margarito on November 13, 2010, in a showdown of fist power. At stake is the crown for the World Boxing Council’s light middleweight division.
The date was originally set for a mega fight between five-division champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. and the Filipino seven-division champ.
According to a Top Rank interview with Roach, he is confident that Manny will be able to knock Margarito out. Roach highlights Pacquiao’s edge by pointing out Margarito’s poor ring generalship. The 5-foot-6 Pacquiao will duel with the 5-foot-11 Mexican at a catch weight of not more than 150 pounds. Margarito’s statistics show 38-6-27 while Pacquiao’s records boast 51-3-2.
In 2009, Margarito’s license was suspended by the California State Athletic Commission because a foreign substance was found in his hand wraps during his bout with Shane Mosley. He is still prohibited from boxing in the United States. Apparently, our Pacman is as confident of his skills as his coach is, and has no qualms facing his opponent in Mexico, Margarito’s homeland.
The fight odds favor Pacquiao with an 80% chance of victory. But, looking at Margarito’s cheating history, the height and the possible home court advantage; this may just end up as anybody’s game.
In a startling announcement from Manny’s famed trainer Freddie Roach, the PacMan would be willing to fight Mayweather Jr for free with the winner getting the entire purse. Yes, that’s exactly what Freddie told the media. But would Floyd accept this challenge?
“We’ll fight him for free. Winner take all.”Freddie Roach, KTLA.com.
Christopher Mayes Sacramento, CA “What do you think of the challenge that Roach made to Floyd?”
Some say it’s a media chess match between the camps of Manny and Floyd. Well, with the latest quote from Freddie, Manny’s camp just put Floyd in “check”. Now the question is, “how will Floyd respond?”
Al Williams Sacramento, CA “Does Floyd just simply ignore this challenge from Roach?”
Unless Floyd can spin this scenario into something that makes him look good, then I think he will ignore this challenge from Roach. However, if he does ignore it, then Roach and Manny’s camp need to go in for the kill with this like a shark that smells blood in the water.
This challenge is a perfect media shot that will bring the “public pressure” back on Floyd. When Floyd and his “thugs” tried to smear Manny in the media by accusing him of taking PEDs, it did put a lot of “public pressure” on Manny. Pacquiao has had to defend his innocence and file a defamation suit. It was an effective strategy by the Mayweather camp because Manny’s public image did take a small hit. But now, Freddie’s challenge will turn things around for Manny and Mayweather will once again feel the brunt of criticism.
Once the public starts chewing over what Roach said, they will start calling for an answer from Mayweather. The longer Floyd “runs” from this challenge the more foolish he would look and then his critics can jump up and shout “See, he’s always been scared to fight Manny.”
Folks, Roach’s challenge was ‘Brilliant’. He took it to Mayweather on the stage that Mayweather has made his personal playground, the media.
Mayweather recently said that it’s not about the money that it’s about an equal playing field; well let’s see if he will truly stand by those words when he realizes that he has a chance to make around $100 million if he were to win “Roach’s Challenge”.
Is there a line that Mayweather won’t cross with his comments? If there is, someone please show me. Mayweather’s recent comments toward Shane Mosley were clearly below the belt. If this were in the ring, Mayweather would be penalized a point. Let’s examine his comments further:
“I don’t really like to speak on people’s personal business, because his personal life is his personal life, but he just went through a divorce, and sometimes going through a hard divorce can be very, very excruciating. It can cost a lot of money.” FMJ, Grand Rapids Press
“I don’t really like to speak on people’s personal business”
Janine Robbins Rocklin, CA “Doesn’t Mayweather always talk about people’s personal businesss?”
It’s hard to tell when Mayweather doesn’t talk about someone’s personal business. But his comments on Shane’s divorce are just completely unnecessary and uncalled for. Floyd knows no limits to his “gum bumping”. This guy just goes and goes until the cameras and the microphones shut off.
“It can cost a lot of money.”
Mayweather is obsessed with money and he thinks that Shane wants to fight him because Shane wants this one last big payday. So, Floyd uses Shane’s personal experiences with a divorce to be part of his argument that Shane needs the money. Are you kidding me? How many years has Shane wanted to fight Floyd? At least a decade went by with Shane saying he wanted to fight Floyd. But now, since Floyd finally agrees to a fight, he thinks that Shane is only doing it for the money. Life must be a lot easier for Mayweather when you live in your own little world.
Douglas Hansen Sacramento, CA “Is Floyd delusional?”
I think Floyd is truly lacking something upstairs because you just don’t attack a man because he’s going through a divorce. How many times can you recall pre-fight hype including one fighter talking about another fighter’s wife and their divorce? Outside of Mike Tyson saying that he wanted to eat another fighter’s children, these comments from Floyd rank up near the top of the list for things you just don’t say about another fighter during pre-fight hype.
Conclusion
These comments were truly below the belt. From this point forward the only thing I want to hear out of Floyd’s mouth is whether or not he will accept “Roach’s Challenge” and fight Manny for free.
He is certainly no joke, as what one boxing trainer suggested.
Winning his fourth BWAA Trainer of The Year Award, Hall of Famer Freddie Roach have certainly etched his name alongside his mentor, the great Eddie Futch, as one of the most revered teachers of this brutal sport of boxing. Manny Pacquiao may be his prized ward, but his methodology of the Sweet Science has produced a long list of champions and elite contenders. And at his current state, he will certainly be producing more.
Roach’s run in 2009 kicked off with Britain’s Amir Khan winning decisively against aging legend Marco Antonio Barrera. These were followed by huge wins Pacquiao and rising star Guillermo Rigondeaux.
2009 also made history for Roach as his star pupil Pacquiao went on to win seven titles in seven different weight classes, a feat no other boxer has achieved. Pacquiao is also named BWAA’s Fighter of The Year (2009) and Fighter of the Decade. Such achievements will tell you what kind of trainer the former pugilist from Dedham, Massachusetts, is.
But Roach’s approach to the boxing is not only limited to the sport. Notable MMA fighters such as Tito Ortiz, Anderson Silva and BJ Penn have trained under Roach’s tutelage.
His job is no joke, considering he trains his fighters while battling his own bouts with Parkinson’s disease.
Roach is the epitome of a guy whose will is unbreakable and whose soul unconquerable. Never did he ceased his existence and watched on the sidelines as tremors in his body make is difficult for him to function. Instead, he wills himself against it.
“My doctors tell me that someday it would affect me where I can no longer function as well as I do,” Roach said. “Until that day happens, I am going to work my ass off.”
Congratulations to Coach Freddie Roach, 4-time Trainer of the Year, All-Time Great!
In the third part of an exclusive Telegraph Sport interview with Freddie Roach, the LA trainer reveals that:
Manny Pacquiao’s great physique has been built on “sports science and hard work”
Pacquiao needs five meals a day and five protein shakes a day while in training camp because he loses weight so rapidly
Floyd Mayweather “has never been the bravest of fighters”
Roach acknowledges the great work done over the past two years by conditioning coaches Alex Ariza and Teri Tom, who have created a dynamic programme for Pacquiao based on sports science technology.
Roach revealed that the ’secret’ to Pacman’s great physique is the science, nutrition and work ethic combined, a combination of analysis, genetics and sweat and spit. The marriage of old school, and sports science. “Manny Pacquiao’s strength and physique have been built by science and hard work, yes. But there is a real hard work element there. We have to keep weight on Manny, not off, in training camp. He loses weight so fast and gets in condition so rapidly. He responds so quickly – because his work ethic is so incredible. You know – you’ve seen him train many times,” he told me.
“When Manny Pacquiao trains, we have to keep feeding him – five meals a day and five protein shakes a day. When we get closer to the fight we start cutting back on the work because we want him at the weight.”
“I don’t want him at 147 coming into camp. I want him at 155 coming in. You always have to have something to work down to. If you are on weight the whole time…for me that doesn’t work. People say it’s the way to go, but it’s not logical…”
“You need to to come down to your peak weight…”
Roach also re-asserted that Mayweather may be unable, mentally, to walk around with the prospect of a loss on his unbeaten record:
“It is always been a factor. He’s never been the bravest guy in the world. When [Antonio] Margarito was the toughest guy out there, Mayweather wouldn’t fight him. He was offered 8 million dollars a couple of times and he never fought him…never will. He picks and chooses his opponents. He picks the right guys, with the right styles. There is so much controversy in getting a fight together between Mayweather and Pacquiao because they are trying to come up with all these ‘Mayweather Rules’. Either they were trying to get inside Manny’s head, or my head, or they really don’t want to fight us…. Period.”
8CountNews contacted Freddie Roach to get his thoughts on the recent reports of Manny Pacquiao’s refusal to give blood the day before the scheduled fight with Floyd Mayweather. Roach says that he is the one advising Manny not to give the blood the day before the fight. Roach blasts the Mayweather’s calling them cowards, and scared. Check out what else Freddie Roach had to say in this exclusive 8CN interview.
8CN – Freddie, todays headlines all say that Manny Pacquiao is refusing to give blood the day before the fight. What is your response?
FR – Well the sanctioning bodies and the state commissions run the boxing world, not Floyd Mayweather. Who is this guy to tell us that we have to have blood tests, or urine tests, or any tests? He’s just looking for a way out of the fight. He is scared, and he’s just afraid that he’s going to get his ass kicked. We don’t work for Floyd Mayweather. We fight for the state commission, since when does the fighter make up the rules?
8CN – To play devils advocate, Floyd’s people firmly believe that Manny is taking steroids. Why not just take the test and prove them wrong?
FR - So, what if I think Mayweather is taking steroids too?, so does that mean I go out and change the rules in boxing? This guy isn’t going to walk all over us, he’s not railroading us. This is bullshit, we will go by the rules of the commission, and that’s it. We’ll go on to other things, and he can make no money fighting some bum. My fighter is clean, I have trouble giving Manny protein shakes and vitamins, let alone steroids. We will pass the drug test, because my fighter is clean.
8CN – Is it Manny refusing to take the blood test or is it someone deciding for him?
FR – It’s me, I am not going to let my fighter give blood a day before the fight.
8CN – What can giving blood a day before a fight do to a fighter?
FR – It’s just like having sex before a fight. You’re not supposed to have sex before a fight, it makes you weak. If you mentally think that, it will. When Manny gives blood it takes him 3 or 4 days to recover from it. I am not going to have my fighter going into a fight feeling weak and not sure of himself.
8CN – Is it true that Manny never wanted to give blood the day before any of his fights?
FR – We will never do it a day before a fight. We never flunked a urine test, and there is no reason to think my fighter is dirty. We have passed every test ever given to us. We go by the commission rules, not no rule Mayweather puts out there.
8CN – So it’s fair to say that the ball is completely in Mayweathers court now, you guys are not budging?
FR – Yes it’s fair to say that. If Floyd wants to fight us, then step up and fight us. If you want Manny to take a blood test after the fight, no problem, but not a day before.
8CN – Wouldn’t a blood test the day after the fight be the same as a test a day before? I mean if Manny was taking steroids, wouldn’t the test the day after the fight show the same thing as it would the day before?
FR – Yes agreed. A urine test will show the same thing too,but if they want a blood test the day after the fight, I have no problem with that. I will not have my guy giving blood a day before the fight, that will make him weak. Why is Floyd Mayweather dictating what we do in life? It’s crazy… he’s a coward and he’s afraid to fight us and that is all there is to it.
8CN – If this fight gets scratched, what’s next?
FR – We go up and get Yuri Foreman’s title. We will go up one more weight division, just for you Floyd!
Trainers Freddie Roach and Floyd Mayweather Sr do not like one another, that much is clear. There will be no Christmas cards sent to one another that’s for sure. Each time this writer interviews either guy, more than likely before it ends, both men will take a shot at one another of some sort. Mayweather Sr loves labeling Roach as, “No coach joke Roach.’ Roach usually returns the favor by pointing out that Big Floyd would be the one who presents him with the Hall of Fame trophy, because that’s the closest Floyd will ever get to it.
During the Manny Pacquiao vs Oscar De La Hoya camp both men couldn’t resist the opportunity to take swipes at one another. Floyd Sr talked a lot of smack throughout that camp, but it would be Roach that would get the final knockout, compliments Manny Pacquiao’s beat down over Oscar.
When Pacquiao took on Ricky Hatton, once again Floyd Mayweather Sr did a lot of talking. He was convinced his Ricky Hatton would defeat Manny Pacquiao. Once again, it would be Roach delivering the knockout punch, and once again compliments of Pacquiao’s beat down over Hatton. Mayweather Sr has no respect for Freddie Roach, and he has no respect for Manny Pacquiao.
Recently this writer was talking to Floyd Mayweather Sr and tried to get him to admit that Manny Pacquiao was great, and he cut me off in mid sentence. He would go on about how he feels Pacquiao is up to something, “fishy.” He’s gone on the record many times now and made indirect allegations of steroid usage by Pacquiao. Roach is furious with the allegation, and fired back saying that Manny has,”passed every drug test ever given to him.” There is a lot of bad blood between the two men, and if this fight between Manny and Floyd does happen, it’s going to be interesting to see how Roach and Big Floyd conduct themselves.
Seems to be just a lot of good old fashioned jealousy and envy going on here. Why else would someone carry so much anger in them towards another person? With the success that both Roach and Pacquiao enjoy, you would think that most people would respect them, and praise their accomplishments. Well most do, except Floyd Mayweather Sr, and perhaps one or two others here or there….but not many.
Freddie Roach, in Newcastle, England, where he is overseeing Amir Khan’s WBA 140lb title defence against Dmitriy Salita here on Saturday night, insists that his Filipino dynamo “is a machine” but revealed at the head to head news conference that he would rather see Manny Pacquiao fight Floyd Mayweather in May than March 2010.
“We’re going to need a 12-week camp for Mayweather, because we need to look at all the possibilities and work everything out for this fight,” Roach told me. “The March date would be too early. It has got to be May.”
As to Pacquiao being “a machine”, Roach said: “I’ve had the opportunity to work with a lot of great fighters. From day 1 until now everything we’ve worked on has come into play. He’s a dangerous guy at this point in his life. He’s a machine. You wind him up, and let him go. He’s different. How many guys can go from 112lbs to 147lbs and still be competitive. He’s a throwback. Guys like him come once in a lifetime.”
Manny Pacquiao may fight Yuri Foreman before taking on Floyd Mayweather Jr, trainer Freddie Roach has revealed.
A super-fight appears to be on the cards next year between Pacquiao, the world’s best pound-for-pound boxer, and Mayweather, the undefeated American who recently returned to the ring from retirement. Negotiations to make the fight are under way, but Roach is weighing up the option of first pitting Pacquiao against Foreman who currently holds the WBA light-middleweight belt.
“We want to fight in March and we don’t really want to wait,” Roach told Press Association Sport. “Mayweather doesn’t want to fight in March, so we might fight for the 154 pound title in March and move up for that eighth world title.”
He added: “I’m thinking about that still and it’s something that I’m kicking around in my head right now.
“Yuri Foreman might be the opponent. It is a possibility, and then Mayweather in September. If they guarantee me that, we’ll do that, but I need more of a commitment from Mayweather because he’s not negotiating too well.
“It has to happen, and with the money they are going to make out of it, I feel it will happen. Mayweather can’t make that money with anybody else.”
Roach is fully confident Pacquiao’s aggression will triumph over Mayweather’s defensive skills in what is set to be the biggest bout of the decade.
“Offence wins fights. He (Mayweather) has a great defence, you don’t score points with defence,” Roach said. “I have a good game-plan for Mayweather. I have studied him hard and I know him pretty well.
“He’s very difficult and he gives us problems but I think we can get to him. We can match his speed and our footwork is a little better than his so I think we can excel in those spots. Obviously it’s a tough fight but I think we can get to him and break him down.”
EITHER FREDDIE ROACH is trying to get the goat of Floyd Mayweather Jr. or he’d seen a kink in the American’s armor.
While negotiations for the Manny Pacquiao-Mayweather super clash have yet to formally begin, Roach has already predicted a knockout win for his prized ward if the two clash.
Roach’s predictions just can’t be ignored.
The Hall of Famer was right on the button when Pacquiao stopped David Diaz, Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton and Miguel Cotto in succession.
And when he said that Hatton would fall inside two rounds, Pacquiao happily proved the American trainer right.
In an interview with Elie Seckbach of ES News Channel, Roach said Mayweather is fragile and defense-minded because he is afraid to get hit.
“And Manny will hit him,” added Roach.
But Hatton offered a different view.
In an article by Billy Sloan in Britain’s Daily Record, Hatton—who was also stopped by Mayweather in the 10th round—picked the American to win over the Filipino ring icon.
“I think Mayweather would win because he’s just so good defensively and hard to hit,” said Hatton.
Though Hatton admitted he was blown away by Pacquiao’s 12th-round TKO of Cotto on Nov. 14 in Las Vegas, the Briton said he would bet on Mayweather when the fight, touted to be the decade’s biggest, pushes through.
Freddie Roach is one of the most well-respected and well-known trainers in the sport of boxing. He is probably most known for being the trainer for Manny Pacquiao. Many people feel that Pacquiao is pound-for-pound the best fighter on the planet right now and there really is not that much left for Manny Pacquiao to prove. He has made a ton of money, he’s made Oscar De La Hoya quit on his stool in his own corner, he left Ricky Hatton unconscious in Las Vegas and it seems like he will step up and fight anyone, no matter how big or strong they are. Two weeks ago he fought and dismantled Miguel Cotto, who went into the fight as the boxer who was thought to be bigger and stronger than Pacquiao. After winning the fight he became the first-ever seven-division world champion. However, despite all his success, Manny Pacquiao and Freddie Roach still feel like there is one thing left for them to accomplish in boxing. That is beat and shut the mouth of Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Roach and Pacquiao have been trying to get Mayweather in the ring since he came out of retirement earlier this year and the Pacquiao camp seems more and more motivated to get “Money May” in the ring. It is a fight that boxing fans all over the world want to see. And why not? Mayweather himself has won six world boxing championships in five different weight classes, is undefeated at 40-0 in his professional career and for those that don’t see Pacquiao as the best fighter pound-for-pound, see “Money” as the best. It would be the best possible way to kick off the new decade in boxing.
Freddie Roach joined 790 The Zone in Atlanta with Morning Mayhem to talk about Pacquiao’s recent victory over Miguel Cotto, what makes Manny Pacquiao so good and whether or not he thinks a fight against Mayweather is in the future for his fighter.
On Manny Pacquiao laying against the ropes and showing his toughness against Cotto:
“That wasn’t part of the game plan, but he had it in his mind that he could beat Cotto at his own game. He said ‘I can take his punch.’ I said yeah, but keep that a secret.”
On whether he thinks Cotto’s corner did a disservice to him in the fight against Pacquiao:
“Definitely. They are a young corner. They’re asking the fighter if he wants to stop the fight. You just stop the fight. The fighter is never going to say no. He can’t, it’s against the rules. It’s against our religion to say no in boxing. The thing is, they should’ve pulled him out in the ninth round because he was in survival mode. When a world champion gets in survival mode, it’s over and its unnecessary for him to take the beating that he took.”
On what makes Pacquiao such a great fighter:
“His discipline and his work ethic are unbelievable. Some guys win world titles and become a little soft and a little cocky, but Pacquiao has not lost that drive. He has a country behind him, he knows when he wins it makes everyone in his country happy and so forth. He puts a lot of pressure on himself, but he really enjoys it. Somebody said there was a lot of drama in training camp and stuff like this, but you know what, we have drama all the time. It makes us tick.”
On whether they have talked about Pacquiao stepping away from boxing:
“Yeah, we talked about it. He wants to get into politics and stuff like that. I told him, we fight Mayweather, beat him, and it will be over.”
On whether or not he thinks Pacquiao could step away if he beats Mayweather:
“It would be the perfect scenario, but is it possible? Probably not. Boxing is a very addictive sport. Once he gets into politics and sees how tough it is and how many people he’s gonna piss off at making decisions and so forth, I think he will miss boxing and probably come back to it. I love when people go out on top and I would love to see him have the Mayweather fight and be done with it.”
On Mayweather’s comments about Pacquiao:
“Well, the thing is, (Bob) Arum called me and asked me who I wanted and I told him it was Mayweather, so he’s negotiating the deal. Manny just got over a hard fought fight and he should enjoy that a little bit and spend time with his family. He was on TV last night, he called Mayweather out. We both want Mayweather. All Floyd has to do is sign the contract. He ducked us last time, he picked (Juan Manuel) Marquez. He’s been ducking people his whole life. He ducked (Antonio) Margarito, he ducked Shane Mosley, we need the best fight and I think that’s the fight we need to make. When he asks for a 65/35 split, he’s politely saying ‘I don’t want to fight.”
On how much money is playing a factor in the fight not yet happening:
“Manny has an ego too and he feels like he should get the 60/40 split. That’s going to pose a problem, but the thing is Mayweather hired Golden Boy to negotiate the deal. So Golden Boy and Arum, I think they will get it done.”
MANILA, Philippines – Their pay-per-view numbers are not too far apart, and a 50-50 deal should be a good one for Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Freddie Roach, chief trainer of the Filipino boxing superstar, yesterday said while he doubts if the loudmouthed American really wants to fight Pacquiao, the two pound-for-pound champion can make things happen with an even share of the purse.
Then the winner of the fight, the three-time Trainer of the Year added, can get a bigger share in the pay-per-view, gate receipts and merchandise sales. Maybe a 60-40 or 55-45 deal in this side of the agreement can work for both fighters.
Pacquiao said last December that if he fights Mayweather, he expects a guaranteed purse of around $25 million or roughly P1.175 billion. That’s only for the guaranteed purse, and if he wins, as Roach wants, then he gets even more on the side.
“I honestly don’t think he wants to fight Pacquiao. I think both fighters know that if they do the fight at 50-50, it’s going to happen. My guy is definitely on board,” Roach said in an article that came out of boxingscene.com yesterday.
“We definitely want the fight. Mayweather I’m not so sure. I’d like to get 60-40 our way of course. I know that we’re the bigger draw. We’ll try to get as much as we can but at the end of the day I think 50-50 will be the only way acceptable,” said Roach.
Mayweather said he wants the bigger share if he wants Pacquiao even if he had just come out of a 21-month retirement and fought a smaller Juan Manuel Marquez last September, doing 1.05 million pay-per-view sales
Pacquiao vs Miguel Cotto last week did 1.25 million buys, and it’s the first time HBO recorded back-to-back PPV sales in the millions.
“Maybe both guys get the same guarantee and the winner gets a big bonus. You can agree to $10 million guarantee apiece and the winner gets the rest. I love it when the winner gets more,” said Roach.
Roach also said March may be too soon for a Pacquiao-Mayweather, and suggested May or June as a good date to do the fight. But that should be as difficult since Pacquiao is running in the May 2010 elections in the Philippines.
Bob Arum, according to an AP report, said he’s been in touch with Las Vegas casino magnate Steve Wynn and talked about the possibility of building a new 30,000-seat open arena in Sin City just for the fight.
HOLLYWOOD — Freddie Roach’s hands shook with excitement as he talked about a fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr.
“It will be the biggest pay-per-view event of all time,” said the man who just steered Manny Pacquiao to a historic 12th round technical knockout of Miguel Cotto last Saturday at the MGM Grand.
Roach said a fight with Mayweather, which may or may not happen, will break all existing records if it does, and will be watched by more people even if it wouldn’t be as exciting as Pacquiao’s previous fights.
The three-time American trainer of the year smiled when told that Mayweather, who came out of a long retirementto beat Juan Marquez last September, said Pacquiao remains a “one-dimensional” fighter.
“One dimensional? Well let’s fight and see,” said Roach.
“If that’s the case, all he does is run. He’s one dimensional, too — run, run, run. Then we’ll attack, attack, attack and that will make it a big fight,” said Roach who just saw Pacquiao off the door of his gym.
Pacquiao dropped by at the Wild Card Gym late in the afternoon as part of a tradition. He always visits the gym on the Monday after a fight, get a few words with his chief trainer, and greet his loyal supporters.
The pound-for-pound champion did not stay long this time as he needed to go to a nearby hospital to have x-rays on his swollen right hand. However, he said he felt better now than the day after the fight.
He heard about Mayweather’s comment that he’s a one-dimensional fighter.
“Ako? Eh, yun ang style koeh (But that’s my style). In and out, in and out,” he said.
Roach said a fight with Mayweather would be difficult to make because of all the money involved, adding that if the flamboyant American would agree to a 60/40 split, in Pacquiao’s favor, then it could happen.
“We need to negotiate for the money and the weight, but I want the fight at 145 lb. Mayweather still doesn’t have that huge audience so I would go for 60-40 for Manny,” said Roach.
Roach added that if it’s Mayweather, March 13, being penciled by Top Rank as the date for Pacquiao’s next fight, may not be a good date.
“If it’s Mayweather, we need time to get ready for that fight. We have to come out with a real different style. It’s a whole different ballgame,” he said, adding that there wouldn’t be a need for a tune-up fight if that’s the case.
“If we get Mayweather, why risk losing that (tune-up) fight. I’d say he rest for a while, enjoy the holidays, run for elections, and the Congressman Manny Pacquiao will kick Mayweather’s ass,” said Roach.
Roach said while last Saturday’s fight looked one-sided to some, it should definitely be more exciting than a Pacquiao-Mayweather.
“Cotto came to fight and Mayweather comes to run. He makes a boring fight, but a lot of people will buy tickets to see him lose. So it would be a huge fight. I agree, but it would be less exciting than other Manny Pacquiao fights.
“It could be like when Cotto started running in the end, and Manny said, “Do you want to run or do you want to fight?’”
Freddie Roach insists the only fight for left for Manny Pacquiao is Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Manny Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach made it clear his sights are set firmly on Floyd Mayweather Jr as the next opponent for his superstar charge.
Pacquiao took his record to 50-3-2 (38 KOs) and cemented his claim as the pound-for-pound champion when he stopped WBO welterweight champion Miguel Cotto in the 12th round in Las Vegas on Saturday night.
With Pacquiao having already taken the scalps of big-name fighters including Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton the stage has been set for mega fight against undefeated Mayweather, 40-0 (25 KOs).
The big-mouth American returned to the ring to out-point Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez after a short retirement following his tenth round knockout of Hatton in December 2007.
However, Mayweather’s inactivity has led him to fall from the rankings which can only be settled with a super-fight with the Filipino. Mayweather stated publicly that he would only fight Pac Man if he secured the lion’s share of the purse, but Pacquiao was reluctant to discuss such matters after his hard fought victory over Puerto Rican Cotto.
“My job is to fight in the ring and I think that depends on [Top Rank's Bob] Arum my promoter to negotiate that fight,” Pacquiao said.
“I’m just going to take a vacation first and spend time with my family and have fun.”
Pacquiao’s trainer Roach was more outspoken on the subject knowing that it was the subject on everyone’s lips following the victory.
“The whole world wants to see him fight Mayweather and I want Mayweather,” Roach said.
Hall of fame trainer Emanuel Steward was at ringside for Pacquiao-Cotto as a pundit for US broadcaster HBO and like Roach, there was only one logical next step for the 30-year-old Filipino.
“There’s no doubt you have to go with Mayweather,” Steward said on air. “When you have a fight that’s been made by the public more than the fighters, that’s what happened with Tommy Hearns and Sugar Ray Leonard. The public said we want that fight to happen and that’s why it happened.
“I think they’ll come together on the money but it’s going to be a very intriguing fight because Floyd’s a technical fighter. He knows how to wait back and box a little bit and it’s going to be a lot different than it was against a guy who comes forward and is not that great on his defence.
“But I think it will happen, it’s just a case of when and who gets what in terms of money. I think it should be a 50-50. Manny has earned his position as an attraction and to me not just as pound-for-pound but as one of the all-time greats. I’d put him up there with the Ray Robinsons and Alis.”
Having gone down to a second defeat in 16 months, 29-year-old Cotto (34-2, 27 KOs) insisted he still had a future in the ring: “I will continue fighting”.
Four days into the Manny Pacquiao-Miguel Cotto fight for the latter’s World Boxing Organization welterweight title, the psy-war between both camps continues unabated, as expected. Barbs have been traded between Pacquiao’s trainer, Freddie Roach, on the one hand, and Cotto himself, his trainer, Joe Santiago and conditioning coach Phil Landman, on the other.
Such off-ring remarks are of course part of every great battle in sports. It is to be expected…and even obligatory for box-office purposes. For Pacquiao, the battle will test a number of things, among them, how his speed and power will adjust to his heaviest weight in his career, probably 150 pounds by the time he steps into the ring.
One of the advantages that Pacquiao however enjoys is that he did not have to undergo any kind of weight reducing regimen to prepare for this fight. He did not have to go through any body- and mind-sapping weight reduction program and was thus focused on strategy, getting to know his opponent and getting to know himself better.
In contrast, Cotto has had to go down from 160 pounds, two months ago, to the catch weight of 145 pounds, some 30 hours before the opening bell. While Cotto’s handlers insist going down to the catch weight is no problem, one could not help but notice Cotto’s sunken cheeks and almost tense deportment.
To say that the bout with Cotto is going to be Pacquiao’s toughest is an understatement. Cotto is bigger and younger, at 29, than Pacquiao (who will turn 31 this December). Cotto is however less experienced having had 35 fights (34-1-0, 27) to Pacquiao’s 54 (49-3-2, 37). Cotto had a busy amateur career before turning pro in 2001. Cotto represented Puerto Rico in various international tournaments: the 1999 Pan American Games, the 2000 Sydney Olympics and the 1998 junior world championships (where he won a silver medal) in the lightweight and light welterweight divisions. Cotto has fought the best, including Antonio Margarito, Zab Judah and Shane Mosley. Cotto lost to Margarito via an 11th round TKO, although Margarito’s victory over Cotto has been beclouded by suspicions over Margarito’s alleged attempt to use illegal hand wraps in a subsequent fight. The Puerto Rican won by TKO in the 11th round over Judah on June 9, 2007 and by unanimous decision over Mosley on Nov. 10, 2007.
A key factor in Pacquiao’s winning ways and in his preparations for Cotto is his interesting partnership with Roach. In an article written by Greg Bishop and published in The New York Times on Nov. 7, 2009 entitled “Out of Chance Meeting, a Formidable Pairing”, Bishop says that Roach, 49, claims that “Pacquiao has not peaked” and that “their (Pacquiao and Roach) best work, the crux of their connection, still comes each afternoon, when Pacquiao pushes aside all other endeavors and Roach clears his (Wild Card) gym. Inside the ring, they speak their own language, share inside jokes, dancing, adjusting, resuming their boxing dance again”.
Despite all the distractions that come Pacquiao’s way, the world’s pound-for-pound king has a way of shutting out everything when preparing for a fight. Bishops says that “the boxer possesses an innate ability to block out the world, to box for millions of people but not feel their collective weight.” Pacquiao’s workouts are, in Bishop’s words, “not human. Pacquiao spars, hits mitts, punches bags, jumps rope. At the end of four punishing hours, he does crunches while trainers pound his abdomen with a bamboo pole.”
Roach, who is an ex-boxer, is supremely confident about Pacquiao’s chances against Cotto. In the same article, Bishop writes that “The trainer (Roach) was standing behind the gym counter when a man asked if he should bet on Pacquiao against Cotto. “Your whole house,” Roach said, predicting a ninth-round knockout.”
Los Angeles — Freddie Roach has earned a reputation as boxing’s finest trainer. More than this, in recent years Roach has become a master of psychological gamesmanship.
Roach has developed a knack for making just the right remark to get into the heads of his opposition before a fight, for playing those mind games — “pushing the barriers, planting seeds,” as ringside color commentator John Lennon put it.
“Freddie is an expert psychologist,” promoter Bob Arum said. “He fires these shots hoping to get under the guy’s skin, and he has an advantage because he was a competitive fighter himself. He had a long series of fights and he knows all about head games.”
Before a training session this week with Manny Pacquiao at his Wild Card Boxing Club, Roach said he took up the psyche-out game in earnest last year. He enjoyed matching wits with Oscar De La Hoya — and believes he got the best of the Golden Boy — in the buildup to Pacquiao’s fight with De La Hoya last December.
Roach followed by scoring a unanimous decision in a battle of words with Ricky Hatton’s trainer, Floyd Mayweather Sr., leading up to Pacquiao’s next fight.
“For the Oscar fight, it worked so well, and I got in his head so much,” Roach said. “I’ll take any advantage I can get.”
During preparations for Pacquiao’s fight with Miguel Cotto set for Nov. 14 at the MGM Grand — first in Pacquiao’s native Philippines, later back in Southern California at the Wild Card — Roach caused a minor stir in Cotto’s camp by predicting a knockout victory for Pacquiao.
Originally Roach said the knockout would come in the first round. Later he amended the projection to a ninth-round knockout of Cotto, who has only one loss in his splendid pro career.
Cotto and his team insist they don’t care what Roach says. On a conference call Thursday, Cotto sounded as if he had had enough.
“Forget about Freddie Roach,” he said, the volume of his voice rising perhaps a fraction of a decibel — which for the even-tempered Cotto is paramount to a Lee Elia-style rant.
Roach thinks that like the Player Queen, Camp Cotto is protesting too much.
“Why would they talk about it unless it’s bothering them?” Roach said. “I’m in their heads.”
In studying video of Cotto’s previous fights, Roach said he spotted several fundamental flaws in Cotto’s style that Pacquiao will be able to exploit.
“No one is correcting them, and we’re going to take advantage of that,” Roach said. “I love this fight for Manny Pacquiao. I’m very confident in my guy.”
Pacquiao stayed on course during the Philippines portion of training camp, Roach said, even as typhoons devastated much of the archipelago.
Viewed as a national treasure in his native land, Pacquiao emerged in top-notch fighting shape despite demands on his time from various Filipino politicians.
Pacquiao went 16 rounds without a break with Roach on the mitts Monday at the Wild Card, and he sparred eight rounds Tuesday at the gym.
“One thing about the Philippines, they’re having a tough time right now because of the typhoons and so forth,” Roach said. “You know what? (Pacquiao) knows his people need motivation and something to smile about and he’s going to give that to them …
“It’s going to be a positive for us. That’s the way we’re going to use it.”
Pacquiao weighed 148 to 149 pounds this week, with Cotto checking in at 150. The Nov. 14 fight, in which Cotto risks his WBO welterweight belt and Pacquiao will seek a title in a seventh weight class, is scheduled to take place at a “catch weight” of 145 pounds, two pounds below the welterweight limit.
“Manny’s a much bigger, stronger guy than he was last fight,” Roach said. “This is going to be an easy fight for us.”
Asked if he agreed with his trainer’s assessment, Pacquiao smiled, but then made the zipped-lips gesture by drawing his finger across his mouth.
The message was clear. He lets Roach handle the brazen predictions, the comments that make headlines — the mind games.
“My mouth is closed,” Pacquiao said.
Speaking softly in a tiny dressing room off the main floor at the Wild Card before a workout, Pacquiao, a Catholic, said he thanks God every day for his success — “the fame, the wealth, everything.”
He’s not worried about Cotto’s more muscular frame, his potent punching ability, or his vicious left hook.
“It’s not about comparing the power,” Pacquiao said. “Sometimes what’s in the mind, the knowledge, is the power.”
Pacquiao said his father, Rosalio, will be at the MGM to watch him fight for the first time in America next Saturday. His mother, Dionisia, will also attend.
He said he feels a responsibility to the sport that goes beyond himself and his family.
“You have to make people like the way you fight,” he said. “Not just Filipinos, but people all over the world who watch the fight. I want them to be satisfied.”
Days before Team Pacquiao left the country for Los Angeles where he has resumed his preparation for his November 14 world welterweight championship fight with titleholder Miguel Cotto, chief trainer Freddie Roach was quoted by Filipino media men as to have predicted the Filipino icon will knock the Puerto Rican out in the first round.
While many believe that when Roach makes a projection it usually comes close to reality, such statement that drew mixed reactions from the international boxing world, including the Cotto camp which, naturally, disputed the claim.
Roach in that interview, himself came up with several reasons as to why he believes a whirlwind finish in favor of his prized student is possible.
First, Roach pointed out that the defending champ’s corner is very inexperienced to handle a fight against a ring-killer like Pacquiao.
The thrice ‘Trainer of the Year’ awardee noted, too, that Cotto doesn’t have the move fast enough to contain a speedy opponent as quick as the Filipino International Boxing Organization junior-welterweight champion.
Roach was also quoted by veteran chronicler Michael Marley as saying that the World Boxing Organization 147-pound kingpin is a kind of fighter that telegraphs his punches, and, like Ricky Hatton, whom Pacquiao sent to dreamland in less than six minutes, will suffer the same fate.
“With the amount of punches that Pacquiao will be throwing at Cotto, it won’t be not too remote that the world’s pound-for-pound great could open up cuts early and, ergo, wouldn’t even be breaking a sweat to score a fast victory,” Roach was quoted as saying.
Reason why, Roach once told this during Pacquiao’s training stint in Baguio, that the pan is to start “fast and finish strong.”
“This is the best strategy that we will be using against Cotto,” the trainer said, adding that being a slow starter, Cotto will be disrupted and bothered should Manny jumps the gun on him right from the opening bell. “We need to be fast and aggressive at the start.”
“We must not give him (Cotto) the momentum because he gets stronger as the fight goes on” he said citing Cotto’s recent fights against Zab Judah, two years ago and even against Shane Mosley, Antonio Margarito and Joshua Clottey lately.
In those outings Cotto was hit hard and forced to fight in retreat. Against Clottey, Miguel was trying to run the clock out and do just enough to win.
Freddie Roach isn’t simply the man who transformed a whirling dervish of kinetic energy into a technically adept, supremely focused hitter, he’s Manny Pacquiao’s most ardent fan.
OK, that mat be straying over the line, considering Manny whips more than 90 million of his countrymen, women and children into a frenzy of adoration typically reserved for deities. But Dedham Freddie has done more than any one person to bring Pacquiao to where he is today–the top of the pound for pound tier, or as Floyd Mayweather fans might assert, just beneath that level.
Mayweather’s mastery on Sept. 19 against Juan Manuel Marquez had some pundits re-installing the American atop the P4P platform, despite his shadily obtained weight advantage. I moved into that camp myself, and suppose disagreements will have to stand until the inevitable showdown between Pacman and Mayweather. I say inevitable because I firmly believe that Pacquiao’s hand speed is two notches better than Miguel Cotto’s, and that he will add to Miguel’s tattoo collection with shots Cotto doesn’t see coming on Nov. 14. Speed equals power equals another improbable win for Pacquiao, and the seventh title, in the seventh weight division since he turned pro in 1995. My certainty, though, seems slight in comparison to that of Roach, who on a Wednesday conference call with Manny and promoter Bob Arum, made his case for Pacman being an all-time, pound for pound great.
With the win over Cotto, who holds the WBO title, by virtue of a hair-thin decision victory in his first defense against Joshua Clottey in June, Freddie says Manny will join a select crew. I didn’t get a chance to ask Coach Roach who he has installed at the top of his own P4P list, but whoever is on the short list, he says Manny should join ‘em.
The win would elevate Manny, Roach said, to the “five best of all time in any era.
“He’s getting better and better,” Roach said of the Filipino, who he termed a “Henry Armstrong-type guy.” That Hall of Famer, of course, held the featherweight, lightweight and welterweight titles at the same time, and is on everybody’s all-time top 5 list. Manny’s 7 at 7 feat, Freddie said, will be “one of the greatest achievements ever,” and he lumped in Manny with other multi-title greats like Sugar Ray Leonard and Thomas Hearns.
TSS U, let’s bring you all into the mix. You on board with Roach’s statement? Is Cotto enough of a test for you for Manny? You’re not going to indulge in something that irks Roach to no end, and tear down Miguel after Manny has his way with him, are you?
Roach on the Wednesday call expressed annoyance that some pundits and fans blow off Manny’s wins against Oscar De La Hoya, especially, and Ricky Hatton, dismissing the beaten men as shells of what they once were by the time they got to Manny.
Roach also broke a bit of news when he said that it is quite likely Manny will stop out at welterweight. No 154, then? “I don’t think so,” Roach said. “We’re pretty close to our limit. We have to feed him five times a day to keep his weight up.” That said, Roach said his confidence of a KO win comes from the power that Manny is showing during pad work. “At this weight, he’s punching so much harder than he ever has. Cotto’s defense isn’t good enough, he’s hittable.”
Then again, Roach didn’t go out of his way to present Cotto as high hurdle. He called him a “very good fighter” but didn’t agree when someone offered that he could likely be the “biggest challenge” of Manny’s career. “I’m very confident in my guy,” said the trainer. “The power he has, he’s gonna knock Cotto out. I’m very confident and look forward to a win. Cotto has never fought a guy like Manny, with his speed. I don’t think he can handle our speed.”
The trainer noted that the beating at the hands of Antonio Margarito (and are we ever going to get an answer to the question how many other times Margarito used loaded wraps of the type he was going to use against Shane Mosley?) took something out of Cotto, but that he’s been building up his confidence incrementally since that July 2008 horror show. “Our job is to take that confidence away right away,” said Roach, who expects Cotto to be in counterpuncher mode.
Some TSS readers have written comments touching on Cotto’s perceived power edge. I haven’t bought it, having believed for several years that Cotto’s power is overrated, and that he didn’t bring it all with him to 147. Roach seems to be of the same mind. “(Power) doesn’t win, boxing ability wins fights, and Manny is the better boxer,” he said. Pacquiao, being the humble human he is, lauded Cotto and told all that he’s “not underestimating Cotto’s capability in boxing.” The boxer shrugged off an earlier Roach pronouncement, that Pacman would KO Cotto in the first round. He takes a kayo if the timing is right, he said.
Roach said that the first 24/7 episode captured the turmoil of Manny’s camp in the Philippines correctly. Strength and conditioning coach Alex Ariza got into it with advisor Michael Koncz, and smacked Koncz. Viewers also saw Roach getting heated when Pacquiao wouldn’t leave the typhoon-plagued section they were holed up in, and kept putting off an exit to a place with more placid weather patterns. Viewers are left to wonder if this sparring and sniping will affect Pacman. Likely not…there have been factions in Pacquaio’s camps for years, and the fighter shrugs off the drama like politicians shrug off tugs from their minute consciences.
Of a rumored tentative date for Pacman, Bob Arum wouldn’t go there, saying that he wants to concentrate on Nov. 14, not March 13, when Pacquiao (or Cotto) could perhaps tangle with Floyd Mayweather.
MANILA, Philippines – There’s just one thing that can keep the Manny Pacquiao-Miguel Cotto fight from happening, and that’s if the champion from Puerto Rico weighs in at over 147 lb.
“That’s the highest we could go (147 pounds),” Pacquiao’s chief trainer, Freddie Roach, was quoted as saying in an Internet report that came out yesterday.
Pacquiao and Cotto are fighting at a catchweight of 145 lb even if the 27-year-old Puerto Rican has agreed to stake his WBO welterweight (147 lb) crown.
At the start of the negotiations, Team Pacquiao tried to drag Cotto down to as low as 143 lb, but the latter said he can’t go lower than 145, and the fight was sealed.
“ I would call the fight off if he comes in weighing more than that,” Roach also said, meaning Cotto will have to make sure or even die trying to make the catchweight.
Or face the severe consequences, like losing all his purse, or even facing a legal battle.
Based on reports, Cotto will be fined $1 million for every pound in excess of 145. He can weigh in at 147, pay Pacquiao $2 million and go on and fight the Filipino pound-for-pound champion.
But if Cotto weighs just a fraction over 147, Roach said he’s pulling the plug on what could be or what should be the biggest fight of the year.
In the fight contract that either fighter who exceeds 145 lb will have to pay a fine, but it’s only today that the details had come out.
“We’re just protecting Manny,” Mike Koncz, Pacquiao’s adviser, had said.
Pacquiao is three days into training at the Wild Card Gym in Hollywood after spending more than 30 days training in three different gyms in the Philippines.
Before he boarded the plane to Los Angeles last Saturday, Pacquiao walked around 150 lb, and was happy to report in his regular column that he still gets to eat as much as he wants.
Cotto, on the other hand, must be bleeding to get down in weight. In New York, during the press tour last September, Cotto said he was at 160, and Pacquiao’s conditioning coach, Alex Ariza, liked what he heard.
“It means he has a lot more work to do than us in losing weight,” said Ariza.
THERE’S A REASON why Freddie Roach has been baiting Miguel Cotto into a word war with taunting one-liners—and it has nothing to do with disrespect.
“Cotto is a tough guy, a very strong guy,” Roach said. “I respect him.”
Rather, the renowned trainer wants the Puerto Rican champion mentally roughed up on fight night when Manny Pacquiao guns for his WBO welterweight belt on Nov. 14 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
“We want him to go crazy,” Roach said. “I want him to hate my guts. I’ll get inside his head [whenever] I can.”
And that’s just phase one of Roach’s plan, which he got going by predicting Pacquiao would knock Cotto in one round. It isn’t plain needling, though. Told that Cotto is studying to become a counterpuncher for the fight dubbed “Firepower,” Roach actually hopes to rock the 29-year-old champion early to lure him into a brawl.
If he gets knocked down in the first round, he’s gonna go crazy,” Roach said. “We want to throw him off. He’s gonna try to be a counterpuncher but if Manny hits him, he’s gonna be back to his aggressive style and that’s where were gonna hit him.”
Roach has studied Cotto’s fights in the past and knows his penchant for slow starts and he expects Pacquiao to set the pace early.
“We will not give him any momentum,” Roach said. “I think we’re going to have a window of opportunity to catch him cold so we have to put some pressure on him right away but we are going to do it in a scientific way. Manny is not [the] reckless fighter that he once was. He’s a lot stronger now.
And part of that strength comes from the work the Filipino ring icon puts into training.
Talking to ESPN’s Dan Rafael, Top Rank chief Bob Arum, who is promoting the fight, praised the way Pacquiao works out in preparation for bouts.
“I know Cotto works hard, but in contrast to the other guy [Pacquiao], it looks like he’s taking a vacation,” Arum said. “Pacquiao goes for, like, four or five hours. It’s amazing. They train differently. Pacquiao is so work-intensive. It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen.
“When I was with Cotto, I saw him do 10 rounds one day and six rounds another day. He looked good. He’d do his two hours and be done. After two hours, Manny’s just getting started. I’m glad Manny pays Freddie a lot of money, because he earns it.”
Former lightweight champion and Pacquiao sparmate Jose Luis Castillo had the same thing to say in an interview with the LA Times’ Lance Pugmire.
“You have to have [guts] to get in the ring with [Pacquiao], he’s very dedicated and is all about constant preparation. It’s going to be a great fight. The more intelligent man will win, and Manny is very smart.”
MANILA — Despite feeling jet lagged after arriving from the Philippines a few days ago, Manny ‘Pacman’ Pacquiao had a two-and-a-half hour workout during his first day of training at the Wildcard Boxing Club in Los Angeles, California, which ended with coach Freddie Roach’s mitt flying off his hand.
“We have to continue our hard training kahit nandito sa America. We have two more weeks of hard training,” said Pacquiao, who will have his toughest fight to date against Puerto Rico’s Miguel Cotto.
Roach said he is very much pleased by his protégé’s first day of workout in the US.
“He’s punching harder. He’s really grown into the weight. He’s punching really good. He has knockout power in both hands,” said the Hall-of-Famer boxing coach.
Roach said the typhoons that hit their training camp in Baguio City had no negative effect on their preparations.
“People think that with the typhoon, we had some problems but we worked right through it. We worked as usual. It didn’t slow us down a bit,” he said.
With uplifting the spirit of the typhoon victims adding extra motivation for Pacquiao, and a month of serious training in Baguio, Roach thinks his ward could knock Cotto out.
“He knows how to make them happy again and that’s him winning the fight, so he’s going to work even harder. This actually works in our favor,” said Roach.
Pacquiao’s new found strength and bigger stature should be attributed to strength and conditioning coach Alex Ariza
Ariza said most boxers moving up in weight would have lost their speed if they added power, or vice versa, but not Pacquiao.
“It’s usually a Catch-22: when you move up in weight, you have to sacrifice something… but with Manny, luckily, we put a gambit of different things together and it’s all working out,” said Ariza.
Even if Miguel Cotto comes in over the catch weight for his Nov. 14 showdown with Manny Pacquiao, trainer Freddie Roach would still agree to push on with the fight.
Of course, on one condition.
The World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight champion from Puerto Rico has to be just two pounds over at 145. Anything more than that, and the 12-round title bout would be called off.
“That’s the highest we could go (147 pounds). I would call the fight off if he comes in weighing more than that,” said Roach, now back in the comforts of his Wild Card gym in Los Angeles, California after a month-long stay in the Philippines for the first part of Pacquiao’s training camp for his Nov. 14 slugfest with the 28-year old Cotto.
“We’ll let that fight happen, but I think 147 pounds is our limit.”
Floyd Mayweather Jr. came up with that devious plan in his recent comeback fight against Juan Manuel Marquez as he came in two pounds heavier than the agreed catch weight of 144.
Although the unbeaten American shelled out $600,000 ($300,000 per pound over) as penalty for being overweight, Mayweather was spared from draining his body to meet the catch weight, and thus, came out fresh and the stronger fighter between the two.
In contrast, Marquez had to add weight (from 135 pounds to 144) in his first foray in the welterweight class, resulting in a spectacular, one-sided win for the 32-year old Mayweather.
Cotto has not fought below the welterweight limit (147 pounds) since 2006 and needed to go two pounds below to make the fight possible.
In contrast, Pacquiao will be fighting as a welterweight for the second time in a year. He first fought at 147 when he retired the great Oscar De La Hoya in their “Dream Match” last December.
Under the terms of the contract, Roach said Cotto is bound to pay Pacquiao $1 million for every pound over the 145 catch weight.
The WBO could also strip Cotto of his welterweight title in case he comes in overweight.
Prior to departing for the U.S. for the last two weeks of training camp, Pacquiao already weighs in at 146.
Roach said he plans to have the boxing champion comes in at 140-142 pounds during weigh-in, and then be at 148 or 149 on fight night.
In contrast, Roach expects Cotto to be 160 by fight night.
“The bigger he is, the better for us,” said Roach.
Those who have watched HBO 24/7 Pacquiao/Cotto last night could see the change in the Pacman. It was a different side, an inconsiderate side that I had never seen before.
Roach made a comment about Pacquiao being happy over the small things before but not so much today, like when Manny came to the gym and was happy because he got a new pair of Mizuno boxing shows and showing off his new Mizuno shoes to Freddie. Well those times have changed and it seems Manny has finally fallen victim to the Fame.
Like many other star athletes once they get to a certain level they no longer cherish the little things.
Manny has gotten too comfortable wearing those silky pajamas to bed. In the episode he disobeyed Freddie, he promised Roach behind closed doors that they would leave early, but later on decided to stay a bit more in Baguio.
As Manny Pacquiao trained in the lavish Baguio gym, instead of taking a break to visit the victims he just stayed at the resort. Roach as usual sticks up for Manny during the Baguio visit he tells the storm victims that Manny could not visit them because he told Manny to train for his fight, no matter how bad Manny treats Freddie, Roach will defend Manny and never talk bad about him.
For those poor Filipino people, just one glimpse of seeing their hero Manny Pacquiao in person would of boost their morale and give them hope. Manny took time out from training to talk politics, but not visit those victims for a brief moment? I hope this was just HBO editing because that seems unlike the Manny Pacquiao image we are so used to seeing.
Even Floyd Mayweather Jr. took the time out of his training to help the homeless and give lectures to homeless youth. Mayweather showed even with all his money that he still has the time to help those less fortunate, but with Floyd Jr. people seem to overlook that side of him and focus on the negative.
I really felt for Roach, the father and son relationship that they once had or seemed to have was no longer there. As evidenced by the final scene where Manny was talking to some politician and Freddie who was fed up because no one was listening to him tells Manny that they have to leave to LA already.
The response from Manny was shocking he rolled his eyes at Freddie Roach simply to dismiss him as if he was a nobody.
Pacquiao needs to realize how lucky he is to have a man like Freddie Roach in his corner, inside and outside the ring. Roach has stuck his neck out for Manny many times. True friends like Roach always get overlooked when they get to a certain level, they forget the little people.
There was a long pause before words – just nine of them actually – came out Freddie Roach’s mouth.
“If he stays on the ropes, he’d get beat.”
Roach had been asked what would prevent Manny Pacquiao from winning his Nov. 14 bout with Miguel Cotto and that’s what the venerable cornerman told the Bulletin after presiding over the Filipino’s final workout Saturday afternoon, just hours before they flew to Los Angeles for the final push of their preparation.
Roach wasn’t pleased with the way Pacquiao conducted himself up the ring and the 49-year-old trainer said he expects the mood to change when they begin training under familiar conditions at the Wild Card in Hollywood beginning Monday afternoon (Tuesday in Manila).
Two new sparring partners – Raymond Serrano of Colorado and Ray Beltran from Arizona – have been signed to replace Urbano Antillon and Jose Luis Castillo.
“He has to stay focused and he can’t afford to take Cotto lightly,” said Roach, a bit disappointed that Pacquiao opted to horse around with Shawn Porter and Urbano Antillon than focus at the task at hand.
“If Manny does that,” said Roach, referring to the many instances when he let himself get pummeled while pinned on the ropes, “Cotto’s going to beat us.”
Although Pacquiao has resorted to such antics many times before in training camp including at the Wild Card, Roach insisted the 30-year-old lefty has no other choice but to concentrate fully on Cotto.
“We can’t afford to take it easy in sparring because Cotto’s not going to be easy on us. Cotto’s going to be hard on us.”
Still, Roach is more than confident Pacquiao will not resort to allowing himself getting caught with his back on the ropes come fight night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Asked why Pacquiao is going to emerge victorious, Roach only had one thing to say.
“Speed.”
Meanwhile, Pacquiao was mobbed by his legion of fans when he finally arrived at LAX on Saturday night (Sunday morning in Manila) from the Philippines.
Pacquiao will take the day off on Sunday as he resumes training camp this time under familiar conditions at the Wild Card in Hollywood owned and operated by his trainer Freddie Roach.
Noted orthodontist Ed de la Vega, who customizes Pacquiao’s mouthpiece, was on hand to welcome Pacquiao.
Pacquiao will train in Hollywood until Nov. 9, the day a customized bus will bring Pacquiao and his team to Las Vegas.
By NICK GIONGCO
Freddie Roach has a gut feeling that Miguel Cotto is not going to press the action against Manny Pacquiao but will resort to being a counter-puncher in a bid to mess up the Filipino’s all-out attacking style when they meet on November 14 in Las Vegas.
Roach’s eyes lit up when told about reports about Cotto utilizing a 24×24 ring instead of the standard 18×18 that fighters normally use in preparing for fights.
“Cotto will try to be a counter-puncher and be like (Juan Manuel) Marquez,” said Roach on Wednesday as he was awaiting the arrival of Pacquiao at the Gerry Peñalosa Boxing Gym in Mandaluyong, putting sense into reports that Cotto is indeed using an oversized ring.
A slugger by nature, Cotto is said to be learning counter-punching moves in the hopes of emulating what Marquez did in his two fights with Pacquiao.
While Marquez battled Pacquiao to a draw in the first match and was narrowly beaten in the rematch, the crafty Mexican is the only fighter who has given Pacquiao so much pain and punishment as all the others — like the legendary Oscar De La Hoya and even the rock-hard Ricky Hatton — proved no match to the Filipino’s blinding speed and paralyzing power.
Pacquiao was expected to go between 10 to 15 rounds with the mitts on Wednesday as he enters the final phase of his training in the country.
Pacquiao and the rest of his team leave for the US on Saturday night so they could resume training on Monday under more familiar conditions at the Wild Card in Hollywood.
This afternoon — behind closed doors — Pacquiao will go 10 rounds in sparring with Shawn Porter, Jose Luis Castillo, and Urbano Antillon.
I like Freddie Roach. He seems like a good guy. I think his feud with Floyd Mayweather Sr. is hilarious. In particular, I find it great comedy that he takes genuine offense to Mayweather Sr.’s playground name-calling (whatever you do, don’t call Freddie “Cockroach” – he will not like you if you do) and holds sincere distaste for him because of it. Roach is a high-profile trainer and he is not boring, capable of carrying an episode of “24/7” for segments at a time (his load in that regard will be heavier than ever in the upcoming installment, which will feature two dull personalities and non-native speakers). I like listening to him talk. He is always engaging to me.
That holds true once again in a new HBO hype piece for Pac-Cotto, titled “Legendary Voices,” that premiered on Time Warner On Demand at midnight Sunday night. For ten minutes Roach sits down and just talks – about his relationship with Manny Pacquiao, about Miguel Cotto, about Antonio Margarito, about Eddie Futch, about himself and his medical condition. About halfway through it goes beyond the typical entertainment I get from hearing Freddie speak and becomes an absorbing and moving piece of short television. And of course, the outstanding quality of production by HBO, with their bells and music playing at a low volume in the background and making everything surrounding the piece feel epic, doesn’t hurt.
“I heard people say I’m the greatest trainer in the world and stuff like that,” Roach says, kicking things off. “It’s a very nice compliment. But I just think I hang out with the best fighter in the world.”
Roach is very complimentary of Pacquiao, his prized pupil, noting his intensity in the gym. “Pacquiao doesn’t hate anything about his work,” Roach says. Roach is not married and has no children and says Pacquiao is probably part of the reason why. “They are my kids,” he explains, speaking of his fighters, “and he’s like my favorite son.”
Roach says that Manny has fought perfect bouts in his last three trips to the ring, and doesn’t think anyone can beat him the way he’s fighting right now.
“Manny Pacquiaos come once in a lifetime,” he says later. “He’s like Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Robinson. These guys don’t come along too often.”
Pacquiao is a superstar, the most popular fighter in the world at the moment, and a cash cow.
“I’m really happy to see the small guys get their due and get the heavyweight-type money and so forth, ‘cause the heavyweights aren’t that good right now” Roach states. “The small guys have always been better fighters, anyway. The welterweights, they’re not too small, they’re perfect weight, because they can punch, and they have knockouts, and they make beautiful moves and they set things up.”
Welterweight is where Manny will take on Cotto, in only his second fight in that division. Acknowledging that Oscar de la Hoya was past his best in Manny’s first trip to welterweight in December, Roach calls the match with Cotto “definitely our toughest fight to date,” a dance with a “bigger, stronger, opponent” in the prime of his career.
And that’s when it starts getting really good.
Conceding the inherent roughness of boxing as “part of the game,” Roach goes on to condemn the terrible acts of Antonio Margarito, who planned to cheat in the worst way possible against Shane Mosley and may have succeeded in doing so against Cotto.
“Putting Plaster of Paris inside of your handwraps is criminal,” Roach argues. In a moment of insight, Roach says that Margarito came to him, almost in tears, asking for his help and claiming that his trainer applied the substance without his knowledge. Roach says he wants to believe him, that Tony’s a nice guy and that he feels for him, but that he simply finds it hard to believe that Margs didn’t know what was going on.
“He’ll never be charged with Cotto because no one caught it, of course,” Roach says. “But we can assume it because we’ve never seen Cotto take a beating like that.”
“Somebody in Cotto’s camp didn’t do their job,” he says, adding that that could never happen to one of his fighters.
Roach points to the fact that Cotto was performing brilliantly on that night (indeed, the ring generalship he displayed during his strong start had Large writing later that he looked like “the reincarnation of Ray Leonard for about five rounds”) before beginning to break down.
“And it just was a very unusual thing,” Roach said. “And I think that could have changed his life. It could have ruined his career. It could’ve killed him, also. It’s attempted murder. I mean, he got a one-year suspension. He should be banned for life.”
Boxing changed Roach’s life, too. As has been well-documented, Roach suffers from Parkinson’s disease, a condition which in his case was likely caused by head-trauma during an active fighting career that lasted a little too long.
He talks about the time Ali, also afflicted with the disease, strolled right off the street and into his “Wild Card” gym, put on his gear, and began hitting the heavy bag. When he started hitting it, Roach says, he stopped shaking. When he stopped hitting it, Roach explained, he started shaking again. Roach expresses a similar sensation that occurs when he works the mitts.
“Once I get in the ring, I’m okay,” he says.
How much does Roach love his job?
“I hope I die doing this,” he says.
Roach credits his own trainer, the legendary Eddie Futch, with the success he’s had in the field.
“A lot of Eddie Futch rubbed off on me. I learned a lot from that guy,” Roach says. “He worked ‘til he was like 92. I hope I have that long a life and I hope that happens to me.”
OK. Let’s put things in proper perspective. First off, who is Freddie Roach in Manny Pacquiao’s career?
Well, he didn’t do much. He just molded the guy into today’s best boxer, that’s all. Not only that, he and Manny embarked on a great journey together much like the “Michael Jordan-Phil Jackson” tandem in the NBA. So I could say Freddie didn’t do much for Manny. Freddie is Manny’s mentor. He helped Manny in the latter’s quest to become the best boxer that he is today.
Now, who’s Michael Koncz in Manny’s career?
Supposedly, he is Manny’s adviser. That answer probably sums it all.
Part of his duties as advisor includes telling Manny to fire Freddie. As reported by NY Boxing Examiner Michael Marley, he relates that Koncz said, “It’s an unnecessary expense at this juncture of Manny’s career. He doesn’t need Freddie. Freddie needs Manny. I told Manny that he trains himself anyway so why pay Freddie so much money. I am always looking for ways to save Manny money and that expense is unjustified.”
Supposedly, this guy acts as Pacman’s adviser. He just appeared all of a sudden, and caused discord within Camp Pacquiao. Case in point: Interference with Pacman’s training.
Who, in their right mind, would question the wisdom of the revered Freddie Roach? Why would someone want to impose his own judgment over the decisions of one, if not the best, of today’s brilliant boxing coaches? Why would someone want to interfere with the fluidity of Manny’s training?
With his riot act, Michael Koncz has effectively caused disharmony within the circle. This lame excuse for a human being already shaved off three weeks from Manny’s training schedule. Apparently, Freddie wanted Manny to train in Mexico. However, Manny got his way with Baguio, while Koncz nudges Manny in approval. He also allowed Manny to take a break from camp despite Freddie’s opposition.
Why would he impose his will with regards to choosing Manny’s sparring partner? That is not your department, Koncz! Your judgment on the matter bears no significance. You don’t have the right to assert your supposed wisdom on the matter. That is Freddie Roach’s prerogative.
Michael Koncz, Manny Pacquiao is better off without you. You have done nothing but disrupt Freddie, Buboy and Manny in their routine.
Proving that last week’s bad weather was never an issue in training camp, Manny Pacquiao dominated his sparring partners Tuesday at the Shape-Up Gym in Cooyesan Hotel in Baguio City. Pacquiao sparred with highly touted former two-time world lightweight champion Jose Luis Castillo of Mexico for three rounds. Pacquiao is preparing for his upcoming world welterweight with Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto set for 12-rounds at a catch weight of 145lbs scheduled on November 14 at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas, Nevada. In his anticipated sparring with Castillo, Pacquiao used his vastly improved lateral movements in trying to avoid the Mexican’s uppercuts and body shots. Pacquiao stalled Castillo’s aggressive attacks with three to five punch combos and counter left straights.
The 35-year-old Castillo (60-9-1, 52 KOs) ended his first day of sparring with specks of blood in his left nostril.
“I can’t see his left. It’s very fast and strong. I think that will be a big problem of Cotto,” Castillo told Fightnews after the work out.
Chief trainer Freddie Roach, who at first seemed cautious when it comes to having Castillo as a sparring partner now expressed his contentment in having the Mexican inside the gym.
“Castillo looked to be off a little bit and he’s never sparred as fast as anyone like Manny. But I like his movement because he moves similar to Cotto. Overall it was a great workout and I was very happy,” said Roach.
In sparring with Porter, Pacquiao again worked on his footwork and stiff combinations while moving out of harm’s way.
“That will one of Manny’s best assets. His ability to throw strong punches while moving out of the ropes,” said two-time world champion Dodie Boy Penalosa who now works as one of Pacquiao’s assistant trainers.
Meanwhile Roach denied reports circulating on the internet that Pacquiao was knocked down in one sparring session last week.
Roach said no one has come close to flooring Pacquiao in any of their sparring sessions in their Baguio training camp.
Last weekend internet forums were deluged with queries and reports that Pacquiao got tagged by American sparring partner Shawn Porter.
“That’s a lie. I would know because I would have to pay. He’s getting hit but he’s never been floored ever. Not in eight years. The money is still in my pocket,” said Roach.
Roach has promised $1,000 for anyone among the sparring partners who could put down Pacquiao during sparring.
Miguel Cotto will want a rough, ugly fight with Manny Pacquiao. Cotto fights close to the border, has a hard head, and will use it if he has to. Pacquiao must be wary.
Yes, Cotto can use an ‘accidental’ low blow when necessary. Cotto will want to use his left hook to the body against Pacquiao, and to catch him with his jab. Pacquiao must be wary.
Cotto will be patient; he will box happily from distance; but he may also try to walk Pacquiao down in this fight, particularly to go to Pacquiao’s body. He will need to show his ring generalship, which is excellent, to trap Pacquiao. But going to the body is a must for Cotto, as he has arguably one of the best body attacks in the sport. Pacquiao must be wary again.
Cotto’s two victories over Zab Judah and then Shane Mosely were proof of his great boxing skills, and adaptability. Pacquiao must employ his speed, his footwork, lateral movement, and keep it on the bounce for at least eight rounds. Roach will have worked out openings into Cotto’s defence. Because of Cotto’s adaptability, the Filipino/Hollywood game plan may have a switch in strategy in the middle rounds.
But there is one thing. Pacquiao’s speed could exploit Cotto’s chin. Cotto’s chin has looked as if it could get him in trouble more than once. But what he does it protect it brilliantly. The fight is 33 days away…and counting. The juices are flowing for this fight. It has the makings of ‘Fight of the Year’.
Unless Floyd can spin this scenario into something that makes him look good, then I think he will ignore this challenge from Roach. However, if he does ignore it, then Roach and Manny’s camp need to go in for the kill with this like a shark that smells blood in the water.
