Freddie Roach: “I get accused with my guys for being on enhancing drugs but......."
Freddie Roach: “I get accused with my guys for being on enhancing drugs and so forth, but people just can’t accept that my fighters work hard, and that’s what it’s all about—working hard!”
JENNA J: Let’s move things to our final guest of this week’s show. He’s a returning one making his fifth appearance to On the Ropes Boxing Radio. We’re joined by one of the most well respected trainers in boxing today. We have on Freddie Roach. How’s everything going today Freddie?
FREDDIE ROACH: Hello. How are you?
JENNA: I’m doing very well today. How about yourself?
ROACH: I’m doing good. I’m just getting started with my day. I’m getting ready. I have three champions getting ready for fights coming up. I’ve got Manny Pacquiao, Chavez Junior, and Amir Khan getting ready for their title fights. Manny is really doing well. He’s ahead of schedule. Amir’s just getting started and Chavez just got here and started sparring yesterday. All three boys are doing well.
JENNA: Alright well let’s talk about your first fighter there. Manny Pacquiao’s got a very big fight, a third fight with Juan Manuel Marquez, on November 12. How’s the training camp been going so far and how’s Manny looking really?
ROACH: Well you know we spent a month over in the Philippines with Pacquiao. It worked out really well. We didn’t have any distractions at all, which is kind of unusual. He’s very focused. He started boxing eight weeks out with Linares to help him get ready for his fight, so he’s a little bit ahead of schedule. He’s boxing very intensely. He sparred eight rounds yesterday and then we did eight rounds with the mitts. He’s just on fire right now. He really wants this fight. Juan Marquez went to the Philippines and wore a t-shirt saying that he beat Manny twice. It was a slap in the fact to Manny. It was an embarrassment, trying to embarrass Manny. Manny’s going to pay him back! Manny will knock this one out!
JENNA: Alright now Freddie, what do you think it is about Juan Manuel Marquez that had made him such a tough opponent for Manny Pacquiao. The last man to even really touch up Manny in the ring was Marquez. Why do you think that is?
ROACH: Well Marquez always gave us trouble, but that was the old Manny Pacquiao, though. That was Manny Pacquiao who just had a left hand, Manny Pacquiao who could only move in one direction, and Manny’s really come a long way since they fought and it’s been a long time. I think Manny’s skills that he has now are going to overwhelming, and I don’t see the fight lasting too long.
JENNA: Alright now you mentioned the weight. A lot of people out there that are putting odds on this fight are saying that Marquez is too small, and that Manny Pacquiao has become adjusted to these higher weights and that he will blow out Marquez. Do you think that is Manny Pacquiao’s biggest advantage in this fight? The weight?
ROACH: Well the fight’s at 144. We gave him a catch weight because they asked for it. I’d rather fight at 147 because that’s Manny’s best fight weight. He’s the welterweight champion of the world, but they’re fighting at 144 and it’s probably to Manny’s advantage. But they asked for the fight, so maybe they asked for too much.
JENNA: Alright now you also mentioned Julio Cesar Chavez Junior. He’s got a fight coming up with Peter Manfredo in the same month. How is it having both of those guys in the same camp, and do you see yourself having any trouble giving the proper amount of focus to Chavez to really get him ready for that fight?
ROACH: Well with Chavez, you know I have separate times for each of the fighters so we break it up that way. They overlap a little bit, but everybody gets the same treatment and that’s just not a problem. I mean they all get the attention they need and they get the sparring they need.
JENNA: Okay Freddie, well everything seems good on that front, but let me turn things back to Manny Pacquiao for a second. I know you have some business in front of you with the Marquez fight, but fans are still talking about what’s next for Manny Pacquiao and some are saying because Timothy Bradley has signed with Top Rank Promotions that he could be next. I just wanted to get your view on that and what you think of that situation?
ROACH: We have Marquez in front of us right now and that’s all I’m worried about! Timothy Bradley is off the radar! I have no idea who our next opponent is! I want it to be Mayweather, so we’ll leave it at that. Timothy Bradley is like not a challenge, in my mind at least. But again we have Marquez first, and we’ll take care of that and we’ll go from there.
JENNA: Geoff.
GEOFFREY CIANI: Hey Freddie, it’s a pleasure to have you back on the show and I wanted to ask you about the fighter you trained this past weekend on the Hopkins under card. Jorge Linares and Antonio DeMarco, what were your thoughts on that fight?
ROACH: Well I thought he fought a great fight. The cuts were a problem and the cut-man Joe Chavez just couldn’t get control. The blood just kept pouring out. You know I wish that maybe they let the fight go a little further, but the referee is there to protect the fighter and he used his discretion to stop the fight. I think we’re going to get a rematch and I think we deserve one. We were ahead nine rounds to one, eight rounds to two, seven rounds to three. I thought he fought a great fight and DeMarco just came on at the end and the blood was just too much to handle.
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