LOS ANGELES – Manny Pacquiao's trainer, Freddie Roach, has described boxing's May 2 megafight as "good against evil" and insists his fighter's deep dislike of opponent Floyd Mayweather will be the deciding factor in the contest.
Roach told USA TODAY Sports that Pacquiao's feelings toward Mayweather, which he says stem from the American boxer's history of domestic violence, had upped Pacquiao's intensity and motivation in training camp.
"Manny is really against domestic violence," Roach said. "It is a big issue maybe in the Philippines for him and being a congressman he can control some of that stuff. That is a big plus for me that Manny does not like the guy, I think the killer instinct is going to come back a lot faster."
Mayweather (47-0, 26 KOs) has been involved in seven instances of alleged physical assault, against five different women, that resulted in his arrest or the issue of a citation. In 2012, he spent two months in a Nevada detention facility for a domestic attack on Josie Harris, mother to three of his four children, that was witnessed by two of Mayweather's sons — according to their recorded police statements.
Hostile feelings toward Mayweather run deep for Roach and Pacquiao. Mayweather released a racist Internet video rant in 2010 in which he described Pacquiao as "that little yellow chump" and said he would get him to "make me a sushi roll and cook me some rice." Pacquiao also sued Mayweather over comments insinuating Pacquiao had used performance-enhancing drugs, a case that was settled out of court. Pacquiao, who is 57-5-2 with 38 knockouts, will meet Mayweather for the WBC welterweight title and the unofficial crown as the world's best pound-for-pound boxer.
Pacquiao also sued Mayweather over comments insinuating Pacquiao had used performance-enhancing drugs, a case that was settled out of court. Pacquiao, who is 57-5-2 with 38 knockouts, will meet Mayweather for the WBC welterweight title and the unofficial crown as the world's best pound-for-pound boxer.
Roach is a staunch activist against domestic violence, having grown up in an abusive household where he said his now-deceased father hit his mother.
"It is really hard to say these things in public, but I know (Mayweather) is a bad guy," Roach said.
"(I see the fight as) good against evil, yes. I have even thought about bringing a couple of the metro cops from Vegas in to tell Manny how many times (Mayweather) has been arrested and how bad of a guy he is, but I decided I can't go that far. He already doesn't like him; I think we are OK.
"For the first time in my life with Manny Pacquiao, this is the first fighter he hasn't liked. I can tell."
USA TODAY Sports contacted Mayweather's chief adviser, Leonard Ellerbe, to seek a response to Roach's comments. Ellerbe did not return phone calls and text messages Tuesday.
Roach was a tough youth who matured to become one of the best-known and respected trainers in boxing. He is highly protective of his mother, a former licensed boxing judge, and moved her to Los Angeles to live in the other half of a duplex he purchased.
"I grew up with (domestic violence), and I realized a bit later in life that it wasn't right," Roach said. "I didn't know when I was little. When I grew up I wanted to kill (my father) sometimes for touching (my mother). To be honest with you, I was scared to death of him. His answer for everything was to use his fists."
Roach, 55, battles Parkinson's disease yet rules daily over the Wild Card Boxing Gym, where elite fighters such as Pacquiao and Ruslan Provodnikov train a few steps away from regular patrons on a fitness kick
His conversations are laced with profanity, but he is entertaining and engaging, with a constant streak of humor even when discussing difficult memories. The stories come fast, and Roach, a man who has given his life and career to the fight game, enjoys an audience.
"Once when I was a kid I was trying to scare my brother but I lost balance and hit the ground pretty hard," he said. "My dad came over and I thought he would help me up. Instead he kicked me in the head."
Barbara Roach, 77, remains a lively and pivotal figure in her son's life. Each morning, she walks her dogs before dawn before heading down to the Wild Card to chat with regulars and help out behind the desk.
"(My husband) was a tough guy," she says quietly when asked about Paul Roach. "In those days you could be. He would be in jail if it was now. But I survived it, and I outlived him."
Much of Freddie Roach's daily thoughts are consumed with Pacquiao's preparation, as sparring sessions increase in frequency and the intensity of training is stepped up.
Roach knows Pacquiao perhaps as well as anyone, and the way the trainer's eyes light up when he talks of the boxer's animosity toward his opponent suggests that this is far from a publicity ploy.
Boxing is a tight-knit circle, and Roach has known Mayweather "since Floyd was 5." The undefeated champion is always respectful when the pair cross paths, calling him "Mr. Roach," but the trainer says he has grown tired of the "Money Team" antics.
"I said to Floyd one day, 'Don't you think you should be a better role model?' " Roach said. " 'Like it or not, you are a role model because people look up to you and kids in your neighborhood look up to you and they want to be like you. But the way you act on TV — I wouldn't want my kid to be like you.' "
Pacquiao has sometimes been accused of going soft on opponents, and the most recent knockout on his resume was of the technical variety, when Miguel Cotto's trainer stepped into the ring during the 12th round to end their fight in 2009. Six months earlier, Pacquiao had flattened Ricky Hatton inside two rounds, the last pure knockout of his career.
The apparent lack of a killer instinct in his more recent bouts has been a source of frustration for Roach, who thinks that sympathy for opponents who are often headed to a lopsided points defeat has caused Pacquiao to hold back from delivering his most punishing blows.
That is unlikely to be an issue this time around.
article courtesy of USA Today
