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Freddie Roach

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Freddie Roach
Roach in 2008
Born (1960-03-05) March 5, 1960 (age 64)
Other names
Statistics
Weight(s)
Height5 ft 8 in (173 cm)
StanceOrthodox
Boxing record
Total fights53
Wins40
Wins by KO15
Losses13

Frederick Steven Roach (born March 5, 1960) is an American boxing trainer and former professional boxer. Roach is widely regarded as one of the best boxing trainers of all time.[4] He is the enduring boxing coach of the eight-division world champion Manny Pacquiao, five-time and four-division world champion Miguel Cotto, former WBC middleweight champion Julio César Chávez Jr., three-time world champion James Toney, former UFC middleweight and two-time welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre, as well as top prospects Jose Benavidez,[5] Peter Quillin,[6] and Vanes Martirosyan. Roach was the trainer of two-time women's world champion Lucia Rijker.[7] He has also trained former light welterweight champion Amir Khan.

Early life and boxing career

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Roach was trained by his father Paul Roach at a young age along with his brothers Joey and Pepper. In an interview with Dan Patrick on the AUDIENCE channel, Roach disclosed that throughout his youth, he was involved in over 300 street fights. Fearing for his own safety in one fight, he claims to have bitten another man's eye out in self-defense.[8]

As a teenager, he was a dominant force in the New England amateur and AAU ranks. Roach turned pro in 1978, fighting as a lightweight and won his first 10 bouts. Roach trained under Eddie Futch and went 26–1 before appearing in a historic match at the Boston Garden on June 11, 1982. The card that night was the first of two times that all three Fighting Roach Brothers appeared at the same time. Brothers Joey and Pepper won their undercard bouts but in the main event, Freddie lost a unanimous decision to Rafael Lopez. Freddie would rebound and go on to contend twice for regional championships.

Late in his career, Roach, who was known for being able to take on a barrage of punches, began showing early signs of Parkinson's disease. Futch asked Roach to retire but the boxer refused and continued to fight with his father as his trainer. He went on to lose five of his last six fights before retiring at age 26. His best payday was $7,500.

Professional boxing record

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40 Wins (15 knockouts, 25 decisions), 13 Losses (3 knockouts, 10 decisions), 0 Draws[9]
Res. Record Opponent Type Rd., Time Date Location Notes
Loss 40–13 United States David Rivello MD 10 1986-10-24 United States Lowell Auditorium, Lowell, Massachusetts, United States
Win 40–12 Philippines Arnel Arrozal RTD 5 (10) 1986-08-14 United States Edmonds Community College, Lynnwood, Washington, United States
Loss 39–12 England Andy Nance KO 10 (10) 1986-04-17 United States San Rafael, California, United States
Loss 39–11 United States Darryl Tyson UD 12 1986-03-01 United States Convention Center, Washington, District of Columbia, United States For WBC Continental Americas Lightweight title.
Loss 39–10 Puerto Rico Héctor Camacho UD 10 1985-12-18 United States Arco Arena, Sacramento, California, United States
Loss 39–9 United States Greg Haugen TKO 7 (10) 1985-08-22 United States Showboat Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 39–8 United States Joey Olivera UD 8 1985-06-30 United States Tropicana Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 38–8 United States Martin Morado TKO 8 (10) 1985-05-23 United States Marriott Hotel, Irvine, California, United States
Win 37–8 Mexico Jaime Balboa UD 10 1985-04-09 United StatesSacramento, California, United States
Loss 36–8 United States Bobby Chacon MD 10 1985-03-05 United States Memorial Auditorium, Sacramento, California, United States
Loss 36–7 United States Efrain Nieves UD 10 1984-12-20 United States Showboat Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 36–6 Republic of Ireland Richie Foster TKO 8 (10) 1984-10-11 United States Showboat Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 35–6 United States Joe Ruelaz TKO 4 (10) 1984-08-09 United States Showboat Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss 34–6 United States Tommy Cordova SD 12 1984-06-12 United States Showboat Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States For ESPN Super Featherweight title.
Win 34–5 United States Efrain Nieves TD 8 (?) 1984-04-12 United States Portland, Oregon, United States
Win 33–5 United States Delio Palacios UD 10 1984-03-21 United States Gilley's Club / Rodeo Arena, Pasadena, Texas, United States
Loss 32–5 United States Louis Burke UD 10 1983-11-10 United States Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 32–4 United States Carlos Bryant UD 10 1983-08-25 United States Showboat Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 31–4 United States Reynaldo Zaragoza KO 8 (10) 1983-06-30 United States Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss 30–4 United States Louis Burke UD 12 1983-04-14 United States Showboat Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States For ESPN Super Featherweight title.
Win 30–3 United States Bobby Pappion TKO 9 (10) 1983-02-07 United States Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 29–3 United States Danny Cruz UD 10 1982-12-23 United States Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 28–3 United States Danny Cruz SD 10 1982-11-25 United States Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 27–3 Mexico Martin Galvan UD 10 1982-09-23 United States Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss 26–3 Mexico Lenny Valdez TKO 2 (10) 1982-07-01 United States Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss 26–2 United States Rafael Lopez SD 10 1982-06-11 United States Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Win 26–1 Puerto Rico Juan Veloz UD 10 1982-04-17 United States Showboat Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 25–1 United States Herman Ingram UD 8 1981-12-26 United States Ballys Park Place Hotel Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States
Win 24–1 United States Mario Chavez SD 10 1981-05-28 United States Hacienda Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 23–1 United States Jose Resendez PTS 10 1981-03-26 United States Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 22–1 United States Javier Flores TKO 8 (10) 1981-02-23 United States Caesar's Hotel & Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States
Win 21–1 United States David Capo UD 10 1981-02-12 United States Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Win 20–1 United States Joe Phillips UD 10 1981-01-17 United States Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, United States Won vacant USA New England Featherweight title.
Win 19–1 United States Jose Resendez UD 8 1980-11-01 United States Caesars Tahoe, Stateline, Nevada, United States
Win 18–1 United States Pedro Gonzalez KO 4 1980-10-09 United States Phoenix, Arizona, United States
Win 17–1 United States Jose Resendez UD 10 1980-08-27 United States Silver Slipper, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 16–1 Manuel Martinez KO 3 1980-07-11 United States Phoenix, Arizona, United States
Win 15–1 United States Lionel Harney KO 6 (10) 1980-04-16 United States Silver Slipper, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 14–1 Billy Martinez KO 2 1980-04-02 United States Silver Slipper, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 13–1 United States Roberto Flores KO 1 (6) 1980-01-23 United States Silver Slipper, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 12–1 United States Luis Avila PTS 6 1979-12-12 United States Silver Slipper, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 11–1 United States Ruben Moreno UD 6 1979-10-24 United States Silver Slipper, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss 10–1 United States Beto Nunez PTS 6 1979-09-13 United States Phoenix, Arizona, United States
Win 10–0 Mexico Francisco Pico UD 6 1979-08-29 United States Silver Slipper, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 9–0 United States Desi Newbill UD 6 1979-08-10 United States Coliseum, San Diego, California, United States
Win 8–0 Ricardo Hurtado KO 1 1979-08-02 United States Phoenix, Arizona, United States
Win 7–0 United States Adolfo Hurtado UD 6 1979-07-25 United States Silver Slipper, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 6–0 United States John Papin UD 6 1979-06-27 United States Silver Slipper, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 5–0 United States Ney Santiago TKO 6 (6) 1979-06-06 United States Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 4–0 United States Eddie Bracetty PTS 6 1979-02-03 United States Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Win 3–0 United States Eddie Bracetty PTS 6 1978-12-21 United States Portland, Maine, United States
Win 2–0 Jose Maldonado KO 6 1978-09-16 United States Yarmouth, Massachusetts, United States
Win 1–0 Roberto Vasquez PTS 6 1978-08-24 United States Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, United States

Boxing trainer

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Roach has trained 40 world champions to date. After his retirement from fighting, Roach worked in a variety of jobs around Las Vegas including telemarketing and a busboy before taking a job with his former trainer and mentor Eddie Futch as an unpaid assistant in 1986.[10] He excelled in his new position and worked as Futch's assistant for five years.

In 1991, actor Mickey Rourke returned to boxing midway through his acting career, and hired Roach to train him in Hollywood, California. In 1995, when Rourke decided to quit boxing, he gave gym equipment to Roach, and it can be found in the Wild Card Boxing Club on Vine Street.

Roach owns the Wild Card Boxing Club in Los Angeles and works alongside his brother Pepper.[11] He is one of the most popular trainers in boxing.[citation needed] Roach's prized ward is eight-division world champion Manny Pacquiao. Roach also once trained Oscar De La Hoya for his May 5, 2007 superfight against Floyd Mayweather Jr. His first world champion was Virgil Hill, whom he took over from his own former trainer, Eddie Futch. He is also the former trainer for British boxers Gary Stretch (former WBC light middleweight champion), training Stretch for his WBO middleweight title challenge against Chris Eubank, and Amir Khan, who became the WBA light welterweight champion on July 18, 2009, and the IBF light welterweight champion on July 23, 2011, under Roach's tutelage. Roach also trains welterweight boxer Zachary "Kid Yamaka" Wohlman among many others.[12][13] Roach has trained 27 world champions to date[citation needed] and can usually be seen nearby when his boxers are interviewed.

In the world of mixed martial arts (MMA), Roach has trained former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski and was one of his primary trainers for Arlovski's victory over Ben Rothwell on July 19 at Affliction's inaugural show.[14] He has also trained MMA fighter Dan Hardy for his fight with Marcus Davis at UFC 99 as well as MMA greats, Tito Ortiz, Anderson Silva, and B.J. Penn. In May 2010, he began a training engagement with Georges St-Pierre in advance preparation for the fighter's successful UFC welterweight title defense against Josh Koscheck at UFC 124.[15] Roach has also trained many other prominent mixed martial artists, such as: pro-boxer and kickboxer, and former EliteXC lightweight champion, K. J. Noons,[16] Roger Huerta,[17] and Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou.[18] In March 2010, Roach expressed interest in wanting to train former Pride FC and WAMMA heavyweight champion, Fedor Emelianenko.[19]

Parkinson's disease

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Roach suffers from Parkinson's disease.[20][21] As chronicled in the HBO series Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel, he is able to actively control the disease through medication, injections, and his training of boxers. Roach's doctors feel that his active in-ring training routines with his fighters and tremendous eye-hand coordination that he has to exhibit have made it possible to slow the progress of the disease.

Honors

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  • Inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame, "Expanded Category" (Managers & Trainers).
  • 2006 California Boxing Hall of Fame Inductee (Non-Boxer)
  • 2003, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2013 & 2014 Boxing Writers Association of America Trainer of the Year
  • 2008 World Boxing Council (WBC) "Lifetime Achievement Award"[22][23]
  • 2012 International Boxing Hall of Fame, Canastota, New York, United States Non-participant Inductee (Trainer of World Champions)
  • 2013 Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame Inaugural Inductee ("Trainers" Category)
  • 2021 USA Boxing Hall of Fame - Fighter, Trainer, Manager

Notable boxers trained

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Key

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Former world champions
* Current world champions
Nationality Name Weight Class Notes
Cuba Cuba Guillermo Rigondeaux Super bantamweight
Philippines Philippines Manny Pacquiao
  • Flyweight
  • Super bantamweight
  • Featherweight
  • Super featherweight
  • Lightweight
  • Light welterweight
  • Welterweight
  • Light middleweight
Mexico Mexico Julio César Chávez Jr. Middleweight
Mexico Mexico -Andy Ruiz Jr. Heavyweight
Puerto Rico Puerto Rico Miguel Cotto Middleweight
Russia Russia Ruslan Provodnikov Light welterweight
Ukraine Ukraine Wladimir Klitschko Heavyweight (former assistant trainer)
Ukraine Ukraine Viktor Postol Light welterweight
United Kingdom United Kingdom Amir Khan Light welterweight
United States United States Oscar De La Hoya Light middleweight Only for his fight with Mayweather (2007)
United States United States Daniel Jacobs Middleweight
United States United States James Toney
  • Cruiserweight
  • Heavyweight
United States United States Michael Moorer Light heavyweight
United States United States José Ramírez Lightweight
United States United States Mike Tyson Heavyweight
Venezuela Venezuela Jorge Linares Lightweight
Philippines Philippines Mark Magsayo Featherweight
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Roach has trained men who are not professional boxers for roles in TV and film.

Name Occupation Trained for Duration Notes
United States Shaquille O'Neal NBA player Shaq Vs. 2 Episodes Trainer for Shaquille O'Neal for both Oscar De La Hoya and Shane Mosley matches[24]
United States Mark Wahlberg Actor The Fighter - Trainer for Mark Wahlberg[25]

Notable mixed martial artists trained

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Key

[edit]
Former world champions
* Current world champions
Nationality Name Weight Class Notes
United States American Aaron Pico Featherweight
Brazil Brazilian Anderson Silva Middleweight
Belarus Belarusian Andrei Arlovski Heavyweight
United States American Ben Askren Welterweight
United States American B.J. Penn Lightweight
Japan Japanese Caol Uno Lightweight
England English Dan Hardy Welterweight
United States American Frank Mir Heavyweight
Netherlands Dutch Gegard Mousasi Middleweight
Brazil Brazilian José Aldo Featherweight
United States American K. J. Noons Lightweight
United States American Mark Muñoz [citation needed] Middleweight
United States American Tony Ferguson [citation needed] Lightweight
United States American Diego Sanchez Lightweight
Brazil Brazilian Maurício Rua Light heavyweight
Cameroon Cameroonian Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou Light Heavyweight
United States American Roger Huerta Lightweight
United States American Tito Ortiz Light heavyweight
Canada Canadian Georges St-Pierre Middleweight

References

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  1. ^ "Roach goes from 'coach' to 'master' – Fightnews". Archived from the original on 2010-02-21. Retrieved 2010-01-07.
  2. ^ "No denying Freddie Roach is the very best – Boxing – Yahoo! Sports". 21 December 2009.
  3. ^ a b "Freddie Roach - BoxRec".
  4. ^ "Freddie Roach: The Best in the Business". 9 June 2014.
  5. ^ Profile of Roach-trained prospect Benavidez – Top Rank Boxing Archived 2011-07-17 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ "265-001 - Boxing News 24/7". 24 January 2014.
  7. ^ "A Quick Guide To The Freddie Roach Career". Boxing News and Views. 16 March 2016. Retrieved 2016-04-25.
  8. ^ Freddie Roach Reveals Horrifying Gruesome Details Of His Most Extreme Street Fight, Boxing News and Views
  9. ^ "Freddie Roach Professional boxing record". BoxRec.com.
  10. ^ Thesweetscience.com Archived September 18, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  11. ^ "Pepper Roach Interview on Manny Pacquiao vs Miguel Cotto, Floyd Mayweather Jr, James Toney, Oscar De La Hoya, Bernard Hopkins, Prediction and More!".
  12. ^ Chelin, Pamela (October 3, 2013). "Zachary Wohlman, aka 'Kid Yamaka,' Is Boxing's Great Jewish Hope". LA Weekly. Retrieved March 31, 2014.
  13. ^ "Zachary Wohlman, a.k.a. Kid Yamaka". Fight Network. Retrieved March 31, 2014.
  14. ^ "Boxing's Freddie Roach working with Andrei Arlovski". 11 July 2008.
  15. ^ "It Begins: GSP Honing His Knuckle-Game With Freddie Roach - Cagepotato". 13 June 2018.
  16. ^ Former EliteXC champ K.J. Noons drops decision in weekend boxing bout Archived 2010-02-08 at the Wayback Machine NMAjunkie.com
  17. ^ "Roger Huerta".
  18. ^ Freddie Roach really likes training NMA fighters – Watch Kalib Run
  19. ^ Freddie Roach ruminates on NMA fighters' boxing abilities at the USATODAY.com
  20. ^ Lawrence Donegan (December 5, 2008). "Big interview: Amir Khan's trainer Freddie Roach". The Guardian.
  21. ^ "FREDDIE ROACH PREDICTS ARLOVSKI TO KO FEDOR- MMA WEEKLY – Mixed Martial Arts & UFC News, Photos, Rankings & more". Archived from the original on 2009-01-25. Retrieved 2009-01-21.
  22. ^ News, ABS-CBN (14 October 2008). "Pacquiao coach Freddie Roach gets WBC award". {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  23. ^ "FREDDIE ROACH RECEIVES WBC AWARD".
  24. ^ "Shaquille O'Neal hits Las Vegas to take on Shane Mosley in boxing ring". 8 July 2010.
  25. ^ "Mark Wahlberg Fitness Program For The Fighter - How Celebs Get Fit . com". 28 May 2011.
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