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September 28, 2006
By Lisa Scott
After all the hoopla surrounding Manny Pacquiao's new seven fight promotional deal with Golden Boy Promotions last week, various rumors continue to surface regarding the super featherweight dynamo - namely Pacquiao's supposed appointment of his long time and trusted trainer, Freddie Roach, as manager. The contract Pacquiao has with his current managers, Shelly Finkel, Nick Kahn and Keith Davidson, is expected to expire on January 31st.
********* spoke to Roach to get his version of the recent events:
There has been talk that you have agreed to become Manny's manager. Is this true?
No. I am not going to be Manny's manager. He's going to manage himself. I've always been pretty close to Manny, so I'm sure that if any problems come up, I will do what I can to help him. Obviously, I've stuck my neck out for Manny many times with Murad Muhammad. So if he needs advice, he knows he can always come to me and I will steer him in the right direction. For the past five years, Manny has asked me to manage him. But I'm very content with just being the trainer.
There's been so much drama surrounding Manny's new deal with Golden Boy Promotions!
Yeah. I know. The thing is that Golden Boy just made a better offer. That's all. It was nothing personal. Manny and his lawyer negotiated the deal with Oscar and Richard Schaefer. And, I must say it was very good deal! I was at the meeting because Manny asked me to be there, but I didn't really have much to do with the negotiations because Manny is a pretty good negotiator - at least he's getting to be, with all that he's been through. Manny asked me what I thought about Golden Boy's offer and (Bob) Arum's offer, and all I told him was: ‘Just compare the two.' And, Golden Boy's deal was better. Golden Boy also has all the opponents that Manny wants to fight. So I suggested a tournament, which will be very attractive because the 130 pound division is really exciting right now. In the future, there will be many fights that boxing fans will really want to see.
How is Manny handling all this excitement?
Manny is doing great! Obviously, he needs to concentrate and focus on the Morales fight. He knows how important it is for him to win and he's doing really well. After signing with Golden Boy, there have been some legal threats and so forth. But Manny has been assured by Golden Boy not to worry about anything but the fight. One thing about Manny Pacquiao is that he's used to distractions, and once he walks through the gym doors, it's nothing but boxing for him.
I've heard you built a separate training room at your gym.
Yeah. I extended the gym and built a separate room so that Manny, James (Toney) and some of my other fighters can train in privacy. There's a full size ring in there, with a heavy bag, speed bag and everything else. Manny loves the attention from the fans who come to the gym to watch him train, but I need to keep him focused on what he needs to do. He gets carried away sometimes and wants to perform for the crowd. But as his trainer, I want him to perform for me. So when he does start sparring, he will do it in private. I also built an apartment (for me) on the other side, so I actually live on the opposite side of the wall. It's working out really well!
How is Manny's weight? When does he begin sparring?
Manny is already down to 137 pounds and he's working really hard. But I'm not letting him spar yet because it's too soon and I don't want him peaking too early. So, we'll begin sparring next Monday. And, I've got three new sparring partners for him that are coming in from Mexico. I had to get brand new guys because he was becoming too friendly with the old guys, and he got to a point where he didn't want to hurt them. So I had to fix that.
Manny scored a TKO over Erik in their last fight, and since Erik has never been down before in his amateur or pro career (let alone TKO'd), it would seem that Manny has the mental edge over Morales. Your thoughts?
Definitely. When a fighter gets knocked out for the first time, it changes him - as I found out in my fighting career. Until that point, a fighter thinks it's impossible to get knocked out. But when you find out it IS possible, it changes your attitude and you realize you're not as invincible as you thought you were. Once you taste the ground the first time, you taste the ground a lot quicker the second time. So, it definitely does affects you mentally and Manny does have the mental edge.
Do you expect anything different from Erik in this fight?
Erik is what he is and I don't think he can change anything at this point in his career. And he hasn't looked good in his recent fights against Manny, Raheem and Barrera. But I believe that Manny is the better fighter and I believe that Manny will knock him out. Obviously Erik is a tough guy, and it will be a tough fight for the first five or six rounds, but eventually Manny will get to him.
By Lisa Scott
[IMG]http://www.*********.com/roachspeaks.jpg[/IMG] Photo: Big Joe Miranda |
********* spoke to Roach to get his version of the recent events:
There has been talk that you have agreed to become Manny's manager. Is this true?
No. I am not going to be Manny's manager. He's going to manage himself. I've always been pretty close to Manny, so I'm sure that if any problems come up, I will do what I can to help him. Obviously, I've stuck my neck out for Manny many times with Murad Muhammad. So if he needs advice, he knows he can always come to me and I will steer him in the right direction. For the past five years, Manny has asked me to manage him. But I'm very content with just being the trainer.
There's been so much drama surrounding Manny's new deal with Golden Boy Promotions!
Yeah. I know. The thing is that Golden Boy just made a better offer. That's all. It was nothing personal. Manny and his lawyer negotiated the deal with Oscar and Richard Schaefer. And, I must say it was very good deal! I was at the meeting because Manny asked me to be there, but I didn't really have much to do with the negotiations because Manny is a pretty good negotiator - at least he's getting to be, with all that he's been through. Manny asked me what I thought about Golden Boy's offer and (Bob) Arum's offer, and all I told him was: ‘Just compare the two.' And, Golden Boy's deal was better. Golden Boy also has all the opponents that Manny wants to fight. So I suggested a tournament, which will be very attractive because the 130 pound division is really exciting right now. In the future, there will be many fights that boxing fans will really want to see.
How is Manny handling all this excitement?
Manny is doing great! Obviously, he needs to concentrate and focus on the Morales fight. He knows how important it is for him to win and he's doing really well. After signing with Golden Boy, there have been some legal threats and so forth. But Manny has been assured by Golden Boy not to worry about anything but the fight. One thing about Manny Pacquiao is that he's used to distractions, and once he walks through the gym doors, it's nothing but boxing for him.
I've heard you built a separate training room at your gym.
Yeah. I extended the gym and built a separate room so that Manny, James (Toney) and some of my other fighters can train in privacy. There's a full size ring in there, with a heavy bag, speed bag and everything else. Manny loves the attention from the fans who come to the gym to watch him train, but I need to keep him focused on what he needs to do. He gets carried away sometimes and wants to perform for the crowd. But as his trainer, I want him to perform for me. So when he does start sparring, he will do it in private. I also built an apartment (for me) on the other side, so I actually live on the opposite side of the wall. It's working out really well!
How is Manny's weight? When does he begin sparring?
Manny is already down to 137 pounds and he's working really hard. But I'm not letting him spar yet because it's too soon and I don't want him peaking too early. So, we'll begin sparring next Monday. And, I've got three new sparring partners for him that are coming in from Mexico. I had to get brand new guys because he was becoming too friendly with the old guys, and he got to a point where he didn't want to hurt them. So I had to fix that.
Manny scored a TKO over Erik in their last fight, and since Erik has never been down before in his amateur or pro career (let alone TKO'd), it would seem that Manny has the mental edge over Morales. Your thoughts?
Definitely. When a fighter gets knocked out for the first time, it changes him - as I found out in my fighting career. Until that point, a fighter thinks it's impossible to get knocked out. But when you find out it IS possible, it changes your attitude and you realize you're not as invincible as you thought you were. Once you taste the ground the first time, you taste the ground a lot quicker the second time. So, it definitely does affects you mentally and Manny does have the mental edge.
Do you expect anything different from Erik in this fight?
Erik is what he is and I don't think he can change anything at this point in his career. And he hasn't looked good in his recent fights against Manny, Raheem and Barrera. But I believe that Manny is the better fighter and I believe that Manny will knock him out. Obviously Erik is a tough guy, and it will be a tough fight for the first five or six rounds, but eventually Manny will get to him.
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