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Whispers from Press Row: Roach and Ariza ready for Mayweather
December 20, 10:07 PMColumbus Boxing ExaminerSamuel Rossi
I caught up with legendary trainer Freddie Roach in Youngstown over the weekend. Roach, along with strength and conditioning expert Alex Ariza, were on hand working the corner of junior middleweight prospect Vanes Martirosyan. Following Martirosyan's impressive third round stoppage of Willie Lee, both Roach and Ariza made their way to ringside to watch the remaining fights on tap.
Ariza assured me that, "March 13 is plenty of time," to prepare for Manny Pacquiao's showdown with Floyd Mayweather, Jr.
"We don't have to worry about putting on size this time ... we just need to focus on making him fast as hell and able to work the angles," said Ariza.
Alex also alluded to Pacquiao's camp once again commencing in the Philippines before relocating to the Wild Card Gym as the fight date nears.
Roach told me that Manny's ear is already healed and won't be an issue, and that the team's goal for March 13 is to do nothing less than "fight the perfect fight."
Roach says that Team Pacquiao "respects Floyd's ability as a fighter, but Manny is Manny," thus suggesting the Pacquiao is a beast of a different and unique nature.
Also, the trainer doesn't see Pacquiao's political ambitions getting in the way of training camp. While he supports the superstar's latest endeavour, he doesn't find it to be a long-term career path, saying that, "Manny will get tired of politics and want to fight again."
So does this mean we can bank on seeing the PacMan fight again following his encounter with Floyd?
"I hope so," says Roach. "A Manny Pacquiao comes around once in a lifetime."
Before parting ways, I asked Freddie if he plans to continue training hopefuls once Manny hangs up the gloves. Without missing a beat, Freddie said that "as long as there are fighters who I can pass my knowledge onto and help, I'll keep doing so."
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Also on hand at Saturday's Middleweight Title fight was former Pound-for-Pound King Roy Jones, Jr. The former multi-division champ chatted with fans and members of the press throughout the night. One of my colleagues on press row managed to ask Roy about future plans, to which he responded that he has every intention of continuing his fighting career.
While it remains difficult to see a once-dominant force like Jones continue to slide along the downroad slope of a storied career, Jones remains well-conditioned and of sound mind. With that said, it's only right that this legend exits the stage on his own terms.
http://www.examiner.com/x-29356-Colu...for-Mayweather
December 20, 10:07 PMColumbus Boxing ExaminerSamuel Rossi
I caught up with legendary trainer Freddie Roach in Youngstown over the weekend. Roach, along with strength and conditioning expert Alex Ariza, were on hand working the corner of junior middleweight prospect Vanes Martirosyan. Following Martirosyan's impressive third round stoppage of Willie Lee, both Roach and Ariza made their way to ringside to watch the remaining fights on tap.
Ariza assured me that, "March 13 is plenty of time," to prepare for Manny Pacquiao's showdown with Floyd Mayweather, Jr.
"We don't have to worry about putting on size this time ... we just need to focus on making him fast as hell and able to work the angles," said Ariza.
Alex also alluded to Pacquiao's camp once again commencing in the Philippines before relocating to the Wild Card Gym as the fight date nears.
Roach told me that Manny's ear is already healed and won't be an issue, and that the team's goal for March 13 is to do nothing less than "fight the perfect fight."
Roach says that Team Pacquiao "respects Floyd's ability as a fighter, but Manny is Manny," thus suggesting the Pacquiao is a beast of a different and unique nature.
Also, the trainer doesn't see Pacquiao's political ambitions getting in the way of training camp. While he supports the superstar's latest endeavour, he doesn't find it to be a long-term career path, saying that, "Manny will get tired of politics and want to fight again."
So does this mean we can bank on seeing the PacMan fight again following his encounter with Floyd?
"I hope so," says Roach. "A Manny Pacquiao comes around once in a lifetime."
Before parting ways, I asked Freddie if he plans to continue training hopefuls once Manny hangs up the gloves. Without missing a beat, Freddie said that "as long as there are fighters who I can pass my knowledge onto and help, I'll keep doing so."
__________________________________________________ __________
Also on hand at Saturday's Middleweight Title fight was former Pound-for-Pound King Roy Jones, Jr. The former multi-division champ chatted with fans and members of the press throughout the night. One of my colleagues on press row managed to ask Roy about future plans, to which he responded that he has every intention of continuing his fighting career.
While it remains difficult to see a once-dominant force like Jones continue to slide along the downroad slope of a storied career, Jones remains well-conditioned and of sound mind. With that said, it's only right that this legend exits the stage on his own terms.
http://www.examiner.com/x-29356-Colu...for-Mayweather
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