Practice Makes It Perfect
Posted by Igor Frank on 03.19.2009
What makes Freddie Roach such a great trainer?
Freddie Roach is ridding high on a wave of public and media opinions these days, as yet another one of his very talented students, Amir Khan, has registered a flawless performance in England last week. 2008 trainer of the year, Freddie is credited with a complete transformation of previously one dimensional brawler into an all around boxer and pound for pound king Manny Pacquiao. He has trained the likes of Oscar De La Hoya and James Toney and has earned the respect of boxing insiders.
Last month, a hall of fame promoter Bob Arum made a statement to the reporters after his charge, Jorge Arce got severely beaten up by Vic Darchinyan; " Things could have been a lot different if he had Freddie Roach to train him for a few month." That's a very high praise from a man who knows a thing or two about boxing.
Humble, soft spoken man, Freddie is always in his Gym, Wild Card Boxing Club, where he instructs , observes and teaches his fighters physical as well as technical nuances of the sweet science. Wild Card Boxing Club located in Hollywood California has a personality of its own (completely the opposite of Freddie's); it's like a microcosm of Hollywood, bustling with people, diverse in population, from Eastern block to boxers from Africa, Australia and Philippines. It has to be the busiest boxing gym in Southern California and if you want to get some good sparring for your pug, this is the place to be.
Being around Wild Card Gym, I have learned that Freddie does not beat around the bush: he will tell you what he thinks and how he feels and you will know where you stand with him. I have grown to respect his opinion and trust his judgment.
I remember in 2001 when Freddie took obscure fighter from Philippines named Manny Pacquiao to fight for super bantamweight crown in Las Vegas on a short notice. Freddie told any body who would listen that Manny would knock out a veteran African champion, Ledwaba and that is exactly what happened. I remember Freddie doing the same thing in 2003 when four to one underdog Pacquiao fought ring great Marco Antonio Barrera. I also remember when Freddie told James Toney to hang up the gloves in 2007 after a very poor showing in San Jose against a journeyman fighter Danny Batchelder. I have personally sided with Freddie on just about all of his predictions, since most fights are won and lost in the gym and Roach is always in the gym, he is a real expert. But when he told me last year to bet all my money on a Pac man in a fight with De La Hoya and that Oscar could not pull the trigger any longer and would get stopped by Manny, I thought that he might have let fame go to his head or cloud his judgment. Boy was I ever wrong.
So, what makes coach Roach so special? Practice and humility are two main factors. He is always in the gym training somebody and working on something, perfecting his craft and he never acts like he is beyond of learning something new or like" what can you tell me?"
But what impresses me the most is that Freddie does not make every one of his students to conform to his style of boxing, instead he improves on fighters strength and minimizes their deficiencies and creates a strategy and a blue print for a fighter to follow.
That is the mark of a real professor of the sweet science. For now I will just call him an Einstein of pugilism, but if he can direct Gerry Penalosa, who is currently training at the Wild Card, to beat Juan Manuel Lopez in their unification bout in Puerto Rico next month, I will have to call him God of boxing and bow down to him every time I see him.
Freddie Roach is ridding high on a wave of public and media opinions these days, as yet another one of his very talented students, Amir Khan, has registered a flawless performance in England last week. 2008 trainer of the year, Freddie is credited with a complete transformation of previously one dimensional brawler into an all around boxer and pound for pound king Manny Pacquiao. He has trained the likes of Oscar De La Hoya and James Toney and has earned the respect of boxing insiders.
Humble, soft spoken man, Freddie is always in his Gym, Wild Card Boxing Club, where he instructs , observes and teaches his fighters physical as well as technical nuances of the sweet science. Wild Card Boxing Club located in Hollywood California has a personality of its own (completely the opposite of Freddie's); it's like a microcosm of Hollywood, bustling with people, diverse in population, from Eastern block to boxers from Africa, Australia and Philippines. It has to be the busiest boxing gym in Southern California and if you want to get some good sparring for your pug, this is the place to be.
