Freddie Roach-Manny Pacquiao: A Tandem for the Ages

Colin LinneweberJan 11, 2010

WBO world welterweight champion Manny “Pac-Man” Pacquiao will defend his crown versus former IBF welterweight titlist “The Hitter” Joshua Clottey March 13 at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38 KOs) was initially scheduled to fight “Pretty Boy” Floyd Mayweather (40-0, 25 KOs) on the identical date.

Unfortunately, the two childish camps were ridiculously unable to agree to terms on a matchup that was expected to pay both prizefighters in excess of $30 million.

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“Manny is going to fight Clottey on March 13 and we’re just going to move on,” Pacquiao’s renowned trainer, Freddie Roach, 49, told the Las Vegas Sun this past weekend.

Roach (39-13, 15 KOs), a former professional boxer who was born in Dedham, Mass., said he was disappointed that the extremely lucrative bout between Pacquiao and Mayweather disintegrated.

“I definitely thought this fight would happen when Manny beat Miguel (Cotto, in November),” said Roach, a member of the World Boxing Hall of Fame and the New England Hall of Fame. “Floyd had made his comeback and looked really good against (Juan Manuel) Marquez. He had a tune-up fight under his belt and he’s a talented guy. I was looking forward to the challenge.”

Roach, who has worked with Pacquiao, 31, since 2001, believes that Mayweather, 32, simply cowered and weaseled his way out of the potentially epic matchup because he is afraid of being defeated.

“As we got close to the fight we could see Floyd pulling away,” said Roach, who also works with WBA light-welterweight champion Amir Khan (22-1, 16 KOs), Cuban boxing sensation Guillermo Rigondeaux (4-0, 3 KOs) and UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva (25-4).

“Bottom line is he (Mayweather) just doesn’t want the fight.”

Roach scoffed at rumors that his fighter is a juicehead and he mocked Mayweather’s camp for acting like they are experts on performance enhancing drugs.

“Manny’s really angry about it – the thing is all of a sudden these guys think they are drug experts. My fighter has never tested positive for any illegal substance, not even cough medicine or anything like that. I have trouble giving him vitamins and protein shakes.”

Roach, who was honored as Trainer of the Year by the Boxing Writers Association of America in 2003, 2006 and 2008, said Pacquiao’s demeanor in no way indicates that the southpaw has put needles in his buttocks.

“Look at his moods; he’s always smiling. Steroids don’t usually let you do that,” continued Roach, who suffers from Parkinson’s disease.

“Why can’t people just realize he’s a good fighter? All the greats – Roberto Duran, Sugar Ray Leonard – went up in weight because that’s where the competition is. I know that Manny Pacquiao is clean for a fact. I’m with him every day in training camp and I know him very well. He would never do something like that.”

Despite the mindless bickering between both parties, Roach still envisions that Pacquiao and Mayweather will clash at some point in the future.

“I do think it will happen eventually,” Roach said. “I don’t think either one of them has many other options out there if they want to keep fighting the big fights. And if Mayweather keeps gambling and living the lifestyle he does, he’s going to need money again.”

Roach said Clottey was selected to be Pacquiao’s opponent largely because he is a highly-skilled pugilist who will genuinely test his fighter.

WBO light welterweight champion Paul Malignaggi (27-3, 5 KOs) and WBA super welterweight champion (28-0, 8 KOs) were also considered as potential challengers for Pacquiao.

However, Roach decided that neither Malignaggi nor Foreman possessed enough overall abilities in the ring to truly contest Pacquiao.

“I wanted an action fight, I don’t want Manny in a boring fight,” Roach said. “With Paulie it would be a blowout. Let’s face it, he’s not in the same class as Manny Pacquiao or Floyd Mayweather. Yuri Foreman is a good fighter, he’s clever, but he’s boring.”

Hence, Clottey was chosen to encounter Pacquiao in three months because Roach deemed him to be the ideal combatant at this juncture.

“I wanted Manny in an action fight and that’s what we got with Clottey.”

“The Fighting Pride of the Philippines” will enter his fight with Clottey as a decided favorite to emerge victorious.

However, Clottey, 33, is a legitimate prizefighter and he should ultimately prove to be a very difficult matchup for Pacquiao.

Pacquiao will trump Clottey and extend his consecutive winning streak to 12.

Still, “Pac-Man” will be struck by “The Hitter” and this fight should be more intriguing than most analysts predict it will be.

Unlike many onlookers, Roach envisions that Clottey will indeed be a worthy adversary for Pacquiao.

Roach wants his fighter to remain sharp and he is a strict proponent of the notion that, in order to remain the best, one needs to battle the best.

Manny Pacquiao is currently the finest prizefighter in the world.

Similarly, Freddie Roach is presently the foremost trainer in the world.

The tandem of Pacquiao and Roach is already one for the ages and absolutely nothing indicates that they are slowing down.

Pacquiao and Roach will continue to be two of pugilisms central faces well into this newborn decade.