By Lem Satterfield, FanHouse
FanHouse caught up to four-time Trainer of The Year, Freddie Roach, fresh off of Saturday night's Los Angeles arrival from the Philippines, where the Hall of Famer has spent the past few weeks preparing seven-division titlist and WBO welterweight (147 pounds) king, Manny Pacquiao, for his HBO pay per view televised, Top Rank Promotions Nov. 13 clash with ex-champion, Antonio Margarito, for the WBC's vacant junior middleweight (154 pounds) belt.
Pacquiao (51-3-2, 38 knockouts) will bring a winning streak of 12 consecutive fights, including eight knockouts, into his match up opposite Margarito (38-6, 27 KOs), against whom he is in pursuit of his eighth belt over as many different weight divisions.
The 50-year-old Roach addressed a number of issues, including a rumored ankle injury to Pacquiao, his views on the fighter's work ethic, and also his sparring partners, among them, junior middleweights Michael Medina (24-2-2, 19 KOs), Glen Tapia (7-0, five KOs), and WBA junior welterweight (140 pounds) titlist Amir Khan (23-1, 17 KOs).
Roach also acknowledged that junior middleweight contender Vanes Martirosyan (28-0, 17 KOs) and junior middleweight and middleweight (160 pounds) prospect Julio Cesar Chavez (40-0-1, 30 KOs) may be employed as sparring partners for Pacquiao over the final three weeks of training at Roach's Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood, Calif.
FanHouse: How did the sparring go in the Philippines with Amir Khan?
Freddie Roach: The sparring with Amir Khan was great. There were some days where Manny got the best of Amir, and then there were days when Amir got the best of Manny. It was back and forth and was very good.
Being the trainer of both fighters, were there any surprises for you in terms of Amir Khan's skills and Manny Pacquiao's ability to cope with them?
No, I've seen Amir spar before, obviously, and he's always been very explosive. So I used Amir to bring Manny's speed back up. Because Manny had been fighting at the pace of some of the bigger guys that he had been sparring with.
So I brought Amir Khan in for Manny to get his speed back up again, and it worked out perfectly.
I understand that there was at least one sparring session witnessed by Top Rank Promoter Bob Arum during which Glen Tapia and Michael Medina got the best of Manny?
Well, Tapia and Medina are both big guys. They're very aggressive like I want them to be and they were doing their job. Manny looked good in spots, but on that day, they got the best of him. In the end, it was a good day, because I think that it woke Manny up.
I think that when Manny read about and heard Bob's comments, it got to Manny and he made them pay for it the next day.
Can you shed light on the rumors or reports of ankle injuries or those concerning Manny's foot, among other things?
Manny had a bone spur. It was treatable with ice and with taping every day. It's not an issue. It's not a problem with running. It's not a problem whatsoever. And then, there was one day where Manny was troubled by a cold.
Will either Vanes Martirosyan or Julio Cesar Chavez be used over the final weeks of sparring?
Vanes and Chavez, maybe. I'm just waiting to see who shows up in the gym, I guess. Chavez is supposed to be there, but it's not definite. But my guess is that they will both be used, for sure, if they are in the gym. So, yes, I'm hoping to use them.
Overall, what is your assessment of Manny's training for this fight as compared to his previous fights?
I am pleased with his training, but the thing is, we had a couple of distractions in the Philippines. I mean, he was going down to Manila on the weekends and I think that those trips took a lot of things out of him than he realized.
We missed a day of training once because the president wanted to meet him.
Can you characterize what is left to accomplished over the remaining last few weeks of training that will take place at The Wild Card?
The final three week will be two weeks of hard sparring at the Wild Card. Mostly what we have to work on is just focus. You know, Congress is gone for now. We don't have to deal with that right now because it's not hear to have to be deal with right now.
His focus is there, now. When he wants to do it, he shows me that he can do it. His focus is the key.
What is your prediction on the result of the fight with Antonio Margarito and how do you believe that it will end?
I think that we will knock Margarito out along the way. I think that Margarito's defense is terrible. He's slow. I know that Margarito is supposed to be in great shape for this fight, but that's what he's supposed to be. It's a world title fight, so that's what I expect.
Margarito should be in the best shape of his life. But Pacquiao's going to be too fast, and Margarito's defense is going to be too poor, and we will dominate him.
Freddie, do you believe, as you were quoted as saying in some reports, that Manny will sooner rather than later choose politics over boxing?
Well, he loves his job. He misses his job as a Congressman. His mind was on Congress for the first few weeks of training and you could tell. It wasn't on being in the gym.
He's so proud to be a politician, and he walks the walk. He loves being a Congressman and trying to improve his country. And I feel that eventually, yes, we will lose him to politics.
If Manny defeats Antonio Margarito impressively and told you that the ride was over and that he was ready to go into politics, would you advise him to go ahead and do so even though he still might be considered to be at the top of his game?
I would tell him to call it a day. I believe that if that's where his heart is, then that's where it is. You know, if he beats Antonio Margarito, it would be his eighth world title and what more would he have to accomplish?
Source: boxing.fanhouse.com
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