Freddie Roach on stupid questions and Cork’s coming champion
Owens/getty (l) Freddie Michael Coach, His With 2021 Roach, At In Boxing Legends: Club Card Images Wild Two Pacquiao Pic: Manny Talks
Freddie Roach loves what he does. Boundlessly. The iconic boxing trainer has always maintained a clear devotion. He appears on the screen over Zoom with a mischievous smile and pure enthusiasm, untainted despite 50 years in a sport that combines beauty with brutality hand over fist.
Does he really still enjoy it as much as he did when he first laced them up?
“Probably more,” he says with a nod. “I’m more into it now. Trying to make fighters better and make the most of their potential, to be the best out there.”
How does he sustain such positivity? A habitual defence that never seems to crack.
“I have the best job in the world,” he told HBO for their programme, ‘The Freddie Roach Story’, in 2010. There were legitimate reasons to feel conflicted, sharp contrasts apparent in every crevasse of his life but every single one was masterfully sidestepped and dodged.
He fought in over 200 amateur and pro contests. He was just 27-years-old when he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Toxin. Tonic. Being in the gym keeps him healthy. The day he quits will be the day he dies. He first learned to box in his Massachusetts backyard. The fourth of seven children, all five boys trained and fought under the tutelage of their violent father. The impact his aggression had on the family was also explored in that HBO documentary. It hurt them all. Freddie Roach has poured his heart into the sweet science, but it hasn’t always returned that affection.
The week we are talking is the week before his fighter, Cork light-middleweight Callum Walsh, takes to the ring in Los Angeles against Argentinian Juan Jose Velasco. It is also the week that Anthony Joshua dismissed Robert Helenius, an opponent who stepped in at short notice because Dillian Whyte was pulled after returning an adverse anti-doping finding.
The news that Alycia Baumgardner returned an 'adverse analytical finding' after her world title fight broke that very day. Blockbuster showdowns continue to go unmade while YouTube stars continue to carve out their own corner and threaten to take over. One of them, Jake Paul, recently labelled Roach a ‘f*cking idiot.’ After warmly chatting about his relationship with Ireland and his time in Cork for Steve Collins’ world-title bouts in 1995, we ask does any of this ever get him disillusioned. It is not well-received.
“It is fun being in these positions… People come and ask you stupid questions sometimes and sometimes it is good questions.
“The thing is I’m always available. I like fighters. I love what I do. I come to the gym at eight in the morning and leave at eight in the evening. It is today’s work. I like working with all my fighters.”
Simple.
The secret sauce in his Wild Card gym is to make it all about the Wild Card gym. To become fixated with the negative behaviour and shady business elsewhere is to become attached to it. That is not his world. The obsession begins and ends inside his walls with his fighters.
Roach is the right man to have in your corner. The likes of Manny Pacquiao, Miguel Cotto, and James Toney are part of a proven track record. Cobh man Walsh lauds his genius at any opportunity. The fast-rising prospect is trained by the Hall of Famer, promoted by Tom Loeffler and supported by UFC president Dana White. He is currently 7-0, with six wins by knockout.
The pair teamed up during covid, just over two years ago. Walsh was beaten in the Irish Seniors by eventual Olympic medallist Aidan Walsh and headed Stateside. They hit it off from the get-go.
“He has a lot of potential,” Roach explains. “He has been working really well. I’ve had some good Irish fighters in the past. I know what I am working with. They are all hard workers and want to win a world title. That is the dream and that is why I’m still here."
7-0 pic.twitter.com/T2SExotMvX
— KING CALLUM WALSH (@KINGCALLUMWALSH) June 10, 2023
He goes on to clarify precisely where Walsh stands as we speak: “He is so close to a world title now. He is getting better and better. I like the meanness.”
It is in keeping with their gym’s code. There is the top floor and the bottom one. Upstairs is open to the public; anyone can operate there for a small fee. The pros reside downstairs. Several hopefuls have been relegated back up because they can’t cut it below.
They don’t open the windows in the Hollywood hall because they like to keep it hot. It’s hard to keep up. Two contenders travelled to the gym last Tuesday for some sparring in preparation for Walsh’s fight. They agree to a prolonged number of rounds. The pair quit after three.
The renowned coach knew what he was getting himself in for. He has trained and faced countless Irish boxers. That comes with certain guarantees.
“Everyone is behind them. They bring the crowds. When we fought in Boston and New York, you know you will pack those places out. The Irish are everywhere.
“There is, not so much a style, but an aggressiveness (with Irish boxers). Going after a fighter, showing power right away. That is common with the Irish boys. Once you get in the ring with them, watch out. They are coming.”
Walsh leads the charge. After this upcoming fight, it is on to Madison Square Garden in November and then a possible homecoming in Cork. With every outing he improves. Simultaneously fulfilling his extraordinary talent and providing fulfilment for his trainer.
“It is more enjoyable to be a fighter,” Roach explains. “First you have to realise if you have it or if you don’t. I fought for the title twice and lost both times. I guess I’m better off being a trainer.
“The best thing about being in the gym is watching guys develop into better fighters. Being a trainer is great fun. Thanks guys,” he says passionately, with a quick glance around his gym. “Without you, I wouldn’t be here.”
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