MANY MILESTONES AS ROACH CELEBRATES 56TH BIRTHDAY IN GENSAN
By Eddie Alinea
PhilBoxing.com
Sun, 06 Mar 2016
Hall of Fame boxing trainer Freddie Roach turned 56 years old Saturday in General Santos City in far Mindanao, 10,000 miles away from the city he now calls home -- Los Angeles in California.
Born March 5, 1960 in Massachusetts, the boxing guru is actually celebrating five milestones in his colorfully decorated life, one of which is the 15th year anniversary of his partnership with Filipino fighter Manny Pacquiao whom he transformed from an obscure one-dimentional left-handed fighter into a global ring icon.
This year also mark Roach's 27th year as a trainer, a profession he indulged in following a so-so fighting career and 13th year since earning the first of the seven Trainer of the Year honors bestowed upon him by the Boxing Writers Association of America.
Year 2016 is, likewise, the fourth year Roach, an alternate in the United States' 1976 Melbourne Olympic team, was enshrined into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in a ceremony held in Canasota, New York in 2012, a week before manning Pacquiao's corner in the Philippine pride' first meeting with then unbeaten American Timothy Bradey.
Incidentally, Roach, known also as "La Cucaracha" as well and "Choir Boy" in boxing circles, is presently in General Santos City supervising Pacquiao's preparation s the third chapter of his and Bradley's trilogy scheduled April 9 in the U.S.' vice city of Las Vegas.
This year, the world famous maestro is also observing the 24th anniversary of the Wild Card Gym, a boxing sweat shop in the heart of Hollywood he built in 1992 against the advice of friend and relatives, including his teacher, the equally great fighting maestro Eddie Futch, from whom he attributes his knowledge in developing promising pugs.
Roach admitted he fondly remembers all these milestones and, in an interview with this writer last week, following one of the fighting Sarangani Congressman's workout, mentioned two -- that of defying Futch advice to construct his own gym and taking Pacquiao under his wing -- created great impact on his life and drastically changed his fortune.
His biggest fortune, Roach recalled, came in early 2001 when the Filipino practically knocked on his Wild Card Gym's door looking for a place to train.
In earlier interview several years back, Roach told those who cared to listen that the reason why he wanted to build the Wild Card Gym was because of his hope that someday, somebody, "who can be the next Muhammad Ali, will walk through that door."
True enough, Manny walked in 10 years after construction of the gym was completed. The rest is history, as cliche goes.
The Pacman was 32-2 win-loss when his partnership with Roach began that immediately produced the first of 10 title conquests in eight weight divisions the Filipino was to rock up in the next years of their trainer-boxer tandem.
Already the World Boxing Council flyweight champion when he came to Roach's tutelage, Pacquiao added the International Boxing Federation super bantamweight diadem in his first title fight under his new trainer.
Before suffering 3-of-6 in his last bouts, Pacquiao had alreay crowned himself titist in 126, 130, 135, 140, 147 and 154 pound the only man on earth to have accomplished the feat.
When he was thinking of building a gym, Futch discouraged to push through with it, telling him it would only give him headache. Roach ignored Futch's advice believing his intuition that one day, a prodigy will come and change the course of prizefighting.
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