Roach excited to work with Manny again
By Joaquin Henson
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 04 Dec 2018
LOS ANGELES. Freddie Roach said the other day he can?t wait to work with WBA welterweight champion Sen. Manny Pacquiao again after a nearly 1 1/2-year separation and they?re due to get together at the Wild Card Gym here before Christmas in the final three weeks of preparation for the title defense against Adrien Broner at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Jan. 19.
?I?m excited,? said Roach. ?I hadn?t talked with Manny since the (Jeff) Horn fight (in July last year) then we met up two weeks ago when he went to L. A. for the second stop in the press tour to promote the Broner fight. We spoke for about 15 minutes. It?s up to Manny how he wants me to be involved with the team. I?m just happy to be back. He?ll be working out at the Wild Card Gym which is like his home.?
Roach said he?ll be in Pacquiao?s corner for Broner but he?s not likely to be the man inside the ring in between rounds. ?That would be Buboy (Fernandez),? he said. ?Buboy did a good job with Manny in getting him ready for (Lucas) Matthysse and the result was a knockout. I?ll be ready to do whatever Manny wants me to do. It?s not a long training period for Manny, like eight weeks in total. We?re rushing it but Manny will be fine. There?s time to prepare. It won?t be a problem.?
Roach, whose mother Barbara passed away late last year, predicted Pacquiao to beat Broner decisively. ?Manny will kill Broner,? he said. ?You can bet your house on it. Broner tries to fight like (Floyd) Mayweather but he?s nowhere near the skill level. He even uses the shoulder-roll. Broner?s the type who can make an opponent look bad so Manny can?t take him lightly.?
Roach said if Pacquiao fights like the way he did against Matthysse, there?s a big possibility that Broner will end up on his back. ?It could be a knockout,? he said. ?Manny looked good in taking out Matthysse and he wants to make an impressive showing against Broner because he has Mayweather on his mind. Manny wants that rematch. Whether Mayweather will fight him again is a question mark. You?ll never know with Mayweather.?
Roach said in his recent 15-minute meeting with Pacquiao at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in Beverly Hills, they talked like old times. Last Saturday, Roach was in Tyson Fury?s corner for the fight against WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder at the Staples Center here. He was outside the ropes during the intervals in between rounds and served as cutman. He?ll probably be in the same situation with Pacquiao against Broner not as a cutman but as a second to Fernandez. Pacquiao may bring back Dr. Ed de la Vega as cutman. De la Vega was in Pacquiao?s corner for the Matthysse fight in Kuala Lumpur.
?Tyson wanted me on his team because his trainer Ben Davison is only 25 and he needed my experience,? said Roach. ?Right now, I?m working with two world champions, both from Puerto Rico under Miguel Cotto?s management. One is WBA superfeatherweight champion Alberto Machado (21-0, with 17 KOs) and the other is WBO lightflyweight champion Angel Acosta (19-1, 19 KOs).? Fury survived two knockdowns to hold Wilder to a split 12-round draw.
Photo: Freddie Roach shows off his life-size portrait with WBA welterweight champion Sen. Manny Pacquiao at the Wild Card Gym.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Joaquin Henson.
Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:
SPORTS SHORTS 285: AMIR KHAN ACCEPTS OFFER FOR AN EXHIBITION MATCH WITH MANNY PACQUIAO
By Maloney L. Samaco, Mon, 25 Nov 2024FOGOUM, TOSHIHIKO, KIM, RATTAWUT, RUF, CHUTINAN IN ACTION IN HIGHLAND’S EXCITING “SHOWDOWN” NOV 28 AT SPACEPLUS IN BANGKOK, THAILAND
By Carlos Costa, Mon, 25 Nov 2024Gil Robiego Co Elected New APPBRO President for 2025-2027
By Carlos Costa, Mon, 25 Nov 2024Garma wins, climbs to 8th place
By Marlon Bernardino, Mon, 25 Nov 2024Davao futsal scores 1st win
By Lito delos Reyes, Mon, 25 Nov 2024Filipino FIDE Master Mario Mangubat is the new FIDE World Senior 65 over category Rapid Champion
Sun, 24 Nov 2024Thunderdome 48 - Jude Grant vs Fano Kori
Sun, 24 Nov 2024World Boxing backs plan to create a new Confederation in Asia
Sun, 24 Nov 2024The message is clear – Asian Boxing Confederation remains united with the IBA
Sun, 24 Nov 2024OSCAR DE LA HOYA FOUNDATION HOSTS 25TH ANNUAL TURKEY GIVEAWAY FOR EAST LOS ANGELES COMMUNITY
Sun, 24 Nov 2024Life vs. Death: The Ultimate Ringside Showdown Immortalized in Pierce Egan’s Boxiana
By Emmanuel Rivera, RRT, Sat, 23 Nov 2024SPORTS SHORTS 284: TEAM MARK MAGSAYO CONFIRMS RETURN TO THE RING ON DECEMBER 14
By Maloney L. Samaco, Sat, 23 Nov 2024RJP Boxing promotes in Bucana on Dec. 17
By Lito delos Reyes, Sat, 23 Nov 2024Good Prospects at Minimumweight, Light Fly, Super Bantam and Super Feather in 2025
By Teodoro Medina Reynoso, Sat, 23 Nov 2024Filipino International Master Chito Danilo Garma is the new World Senior Blitz champion; Filipino FIDE Master Mario Mangubat takes the bronze medal
By Marlon Bernardino, Sat, 23 Nov 2024