Freddie Roach Bringing Pros To Spar With Team USA

By Ryan Maquiñana

Several sources have informed BoxingScene.com that Freddie Roach will bring a cadre of fighters from his Wild Card Boxing Club to the USA Boxing headquarters in order to spar with the current members of the men’s and women’s U.S. National Team next week.

Among the many pros being mentioned to tentatively travel with the five-time Trainer of the Year from Hollywood to Colorado Springs are middleweight Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillin, cruiserweight Lateef “Power” Kayode, welterweight Wale “Lucky Boy” Omotoso, and WBO female jr. featherweight champion Ana “The Hurricane” Julaton.

“I’m really not sure about all the details about going to Colorado yet, but that’s what I’ve been told,” Quillin said.  “I’m definitely excited about it.”

On May 7, USA Boxing bestowed the title of Olympic Team consultant on Roach.  He has already worked on a preliminary basis with amateur flyweight Rau’shee Warren at the Wild Card Boxing Club in Tinseltown.

"Wow, that's really amazing that Freddie Roach is going to be working with us," light flyweight Eros Correa said.  "It's an honor, but I'm not nervous.  I'm ready for the challenge."

Although the current male members of Team USA emerged victorious at the recent U.S. Olympic Trials, their tickets to London are far from secure.

In order to gain automatic entry to the 2012 Olympics, heavyweight Michael Hunter and super heavyweight Lenroy Thompson must finish in the top six in September’s AIBA World Championships in Azerbaijan, while the other eight Americans from light heavyweight to light flyweight must do no worse than tenth in their respective weight classes.

Failing to qualify next month will result in the fighter forfeiting his spot on the team.  In that case, the spot will open back up and he will have to win another U.S. Olympic-qualifying tournament in his specific division next spring.

The U.S. Women’s Team will see action in the Summer Games for the first time, but only the flyweight, lightweight, and middleweight divisions have received the nod from the International Olympic Committee Executive Board.

As for Roach, he is currently in the Ukraine, where he will steer WBA welterweight champ Vyacheslav Senchenko’s corner for his Saturday title defense against Marco Antonio Avendano.

Ryan Maquiñana is the boxing correspondent at Comcast SportsNet Bay Area.  He’s a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and The Ring’s Ratings Advisory Panel.  E-mail him at rmaquinana@gmail.com, check out his blog at www.maqdown.com or follow him on Twitter: @RMaq28.