by James Slater – Great trainer of champions Freddie Roach may be one of the most likeable and affable guys in the sport of boxing today, but this does not mean he will refuse to speak his mind just because it may upset someone. In the past, Floyd Mayweather Senior has questioned Roach’s talents as a trainer, while at the same time singing the praises of his own ability as a coach. Not one to get into verbal matches with anyone, Freddie has, however, taken the time to question Mayweather Senior’s own worth as a trainer.
Speaking with The Sun newspaper, Freddie was discussing the upcoming May 2nd fight between his guy Manny Pacquaio and Mayweather’s guy Ricky Hatton, when the interviewer got onto tactics and said, “Like him or not, you must respect Floyd Mayweather Senior’s ability as a trainer.” “Why?” replied Roach, before going into his reasoning for not giving Floyd Senior anywhere near the credit the poetry-spouting trainer believes he is entitled to.
And it must be said, Roach backed up his reasoning with some excellent points.
“What has Floyd Senior achieved?,” Roach demanded. “His son’s a natural born fighter – he was born to fight. His brother Roger trained him anyway, he never trained his son for a world title fight. Let’s face it, he’s not the trainer of his son. You know, he [Mayweather Snr.] tells me he’s the greatest, but what has he done, who has he trained? He trained Oscar De La Hoya after Oscar had won four world titles, already!
“Ricky Hatton will be what he is against Manny. All that Mayweather rolling the shoulders, it won’t help. After he gets hit in the first round he’ll go back to doing what he does best and that’s fight.”
Refusing to ever take anything like the kind of enormous credit his rival trainer awards to himself, Roach even admitted that he and other trainers are overrated. People should give the fighters more credit, said the modest man who has helped guide twenty-three fighters to a world championship.
“When Manny Pacquiao fights, I sit down,” Roach said. “He’s the best fighter in the world, it has nothing to do with who the best trainer in the world is. Give the fighters the credit – trainers are overrated, trust me. We guide our fighters in the right direction, but it’s up to them to implement the game plan. It’s the same with me, Manny makes me look good.”
Asked for his prediction of how the fight everyone can’t wait to see will go, Freddie again said he expects a tough fight, but one that his man will definitely win.
“I think it will be a late round fight,” Freddie said. “But I don’t see it going the distance. Both guys are tough guys and they are going to attack the body early, trying to break each other down. Strength doesn’t win this fight, smarts does. My guy’s the smarter guy.”
No doubt, if he reads what Freddie has had to say, Mayweather Senior will have his own comments to make!