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. http://www.e a s t s i d e b o x i n g.com/news.php?p=29661&more=1

Comments (20)

IMO all these guys are business and its pretty lucrative right now. Who wants to change something that's paying so well?? All I can say : Blah Blah Blah. SHOW THE PUBLIC YOU AND YOUR FIGHTERS ARE CLEAN and don't say SH!T we don't wanna hear it.

14y ago

COACH_WEBB

:lol1: The guilty always protest too much. Oh Freddie Roach....:nonono:

14y ago

dosepulgada

You got everyone from Pac's camp shouting that they want Mayweather. But still you dont hear anything from Floyd's camp. LOL! I hope May finally thinks about his legacy after Nov. 12.

14y ago

IMDAZED

:lol1: :lol1: Why did he say that? :lol1: The guilty always protest too much.

14y ago

COACH_WEBB

Trainer Freddie Roach said, "The Ruiz fight, James was coming off an injury and we didn't have enough time for it to completely heal. He wasn't at one-hundred percent. The steroids didn't seem to affect him at all, we didn't even know it was still in his system for that fight. James was just himself in the Ruiz fight. His boxing ability won him the fight." :lol1: :lol1: Why did he say that?

14y ago

Pin_Galarga

Blah Blah Blah. SHOW THE PUBLIC YOU AND YOUR FIGHTERS ARE CLEAN and don't say SH!T we don't wanna hear it.

14y ago

IMDAZED

14y ago

carts

You wouldn't get accused so much if your fighters took random drug tests. That's all it takes, then the accusations stop. Simple! oh the fake OSDT or floyds Testing commission? lol :lol1:

14y ago

BoZz

You wouldn't get accused so much if your fighters took random drug tests. That's all it takes, then the accusations stop. Simple! yep that's all it takes really...saying yes to the random test..every time pac is asked about the test the emmm amm mmmm eeemmm starts ...i don't even understand how his own fans fall for his bullsh1t..first fear of needles then 3 week gap then 2 week gap then 3 days gap then no gap then no USADA..and this is all true what I said..sounds like a joke it really isn't..sad but true lol

14y ago

chaos

You wouldn't get accused so much if your fighters took random drug tests. That's all it takes, then the accusations stop. Simple! So every fighter who doesn't take non-sanctioned tests should be accused of juicing?

14y ago

Rolaz

It's about time that Roach should be given credit in molding Pacman and Khan into a fighting Machine, after all, Roach is a record holder of multi awardee as BWAA "Trainer of the Year"

14y ago

Convicted_Felon

With all of these accusations running wild for so long, you'd think they would do something about it. In all reality, they are doing something about it. They are trying to ignore them away. Never mind them trying to silence the people who think such things about him and his fighters. You'd think that he would join the bandwagon to prove that his fighters are clean. He's one of the most vocal about not doing it. Join the 'good fight' in boxing and have your fighters submit to random testing. That guy Manny Pacquiao is using a special blend of EPO and water based testoserone. The guy asked Pacquiao if he used HGH, EPO, or Testoserone. Manny responded by saying he doesn't even know what testoserone is, 2 weeks later, he tells playboy mag that he and his wife don't have sex for 3 weeks because sex lowers your testoserone. Freddie Roach always wants his fighters to have an advantage so why would it be far fetched to think that they are above using PED's? They can work that much harder because they have an extra boost.

14y ago

bose

Pac beats Floyd.

14y ago

ADP02

You wouldn't get accused so much if your fighters took random drug tests. That's all it takes, then the accusations stop. Simple! I know what you mean. Look at Lance Armstrong. Nobody accused him anymore after taking all those tests AND PASSING THEM ALL! lol!

14y ago

puga

Judge?lol so filing a lawsuit and not taking the test isn't ducking or suspicious,but asking for a test is?wow yes, there is a thing called defamation when you accuse people of wrongdoing without bases........and yes, demanding something out of norm is B1tch@ssness...floyd is known for that...

14y ago

edgarg

So having one roided up (black American) fighter in the past automatically makes your successful (Asian) fighters suspicious? Abd I don't think that it was a blood test which caught him. In fact i can't think of a single boxer who has been caught by a blood test, but quite a few by urine tests. this fact is never mentioned, just as the far greater number of football deaths are never mentioned whilst boxing deaths are.

14y ago

Haglerwins

So having one roided up (black American) fighter in the past automatically makes your successful (Asian) fighters suspicious? When it comes to Roach it is suspicious. He's very nonchalant on PED use outside of Manny coming up in discussion (rightfully protecting his fighter). wasn't bothered in any way when James got caught other than he thought it was out of his system by the time of the commission test. :nonono:

14y ago

Phil_Ivey

Mmm doesn't help James Toney was juicing and Freddie was suss about it but didn't do anything.

14y ago

TheSurgeonMDMPH

So having one roided up (black American) fighter in the past automatically makes your successful (Asian) fighters suspicious? Becuz asians are more honorable than those blacks. GTFOH! Go bak to ur main account coward.

14y ago

Bombs

I remember when judge told him where is the evidence and he said "I don't have any" and then he stopped going to court. :lol1: :lol1:

14y ago