SPORTING CHANCE
By Joaquin Henson │ The Philippine Star
Five-time Trainer of the Year and Manny Pacquiao’s father figure Freddie Roach officially becomes a TV star on Friday when his reality series debuts on HBO with highly acclaimed director Peter Berg of “Friday Night Lights” fame at the helm.
Over 500 hours of film footage were compiled by Berg in following Roach around all over the US, Ukraine and the Philippines working the trade that is his master craft. The show is aptly called “On Freddie Roach” and will run for six episodes. It will delve into his life from when he started boxing to his apprenticeship under Eddie Futch to his affliction with Parkinson’s disease to his involvement with 28 world champions, including Pacquiao, to his work with the US Olympic boxing team to his election into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. The story will be comprehensive and inspiring.
Roach, 51, is as much of an icon as Pacquiao even if he confines himself in the corner of every fight. His brilliance as a strategist, tactician and coach is evident in Pacquiao’s transformation from a raw talent to the world’s No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter with eight titles under his belt.
Aside from the TV series, Roach will be immortalized in his book originally titled “The Wild Card – Hard-Fought Lessons From a Life in the Ring” and now “It May End Up Killing You – Hard-Fought Lessons From a Life in the Ring.” The 320-page book was written by Roach and Peter Owen Nelson with a foreword by Pacquiao. It will be released on May 1. Amazon.com quoted a discounted price for the hard-cover edition of $16.47 down from $24.95.
In a recent interview by Joe Brescia published in the New York Times, Roach said Floyd Mayweather would be the biggest challenge for him and Pacquiao. Roach was certain Pacquiao and Mayweather will inevitably face off.
“Sometimes, I think it will be forever up in the air,” said Roach, quoted by Brescia. “Everywhere I go, they want that fight to happen. And I want it as badly as anyone. Hopefully, it will get made soon. Manny probably has four or five fights left in him and I’m sure Mayweather will be one of them.”
Roach admitted that Mayweather will pose a big problem. “We do have trouble with the counter-punching style and Floyd is a great counter-puncher,” he continued. “We have to go in with a good gameplan. If one guy averages 85 punches a round and one guy averages 15 punches a round, I think the 85 will beat the 15. The thing is, Mayweather is very precise and very conservative with his punches. But he’s very accurate and he lands good shots. There’s no doubt it’s a tough fight. It’s a challenge and that’s why I like it. I like getting ready for challenges.”
Roach said if and when Pacquiao runs for Sarangani governor, it’ll be a sign to retire from the ring. “Being a congressman is one thing but being the governor brings a lot more responsibility,” Roach went on. “I don’t think he could do both. He gets time off as congressman but a governor has to be more hands on. And he really wants to be good at politics. And for him to be good at politics, he’s going to have to put his whole life into it. I would say he would be close to retirement for him to be governor.”
In USA Today’s Sports 2011 Yearbook, the two-page boxing section featured Pacquiao’s whitewash of Sugar Shane Mosley and Mayweather’s theatrical demolition of Victor Ortiz as headliners.
“Pac shows passion, feats on Sugar Shane” was the heading for the Filipino’s win over Mosley. This is what USA Today reported: “Manny Pacquiao retained his reputation as boxing’s top pound-for-pound fighter in May. But his welterweight title defense was notable, less for his efforts, than for the shortcomings of faded star Sugar Shane Mosley. After a third-round knockdown, Mosley went into a retreat mode that left Pacquiao wondering why his opponent wouldn’t face him. Mosley was thoroughly outclassed and outpunched as boxing’s best waltzed to a lopsided unanimous decision.”
There was no mention of referee Kenny Bayless’ mistake of ruling a knockdown on Pacquiao when it was clearly a slip in the 10th round.
As for Mayweather’s treacherous victory on two sucker punches, USA Today said it was bizarre, stunning and dramatic. “For a sport that seems to thrive on the controversy it creates, boxing hit all the high notes in the September return of Mayweather against Ortiz,” USA Today noted. “It recalled one of boxing’s fundamental truths: Protect yourself at all times.” Mayweather, living up to his role as the villain’s villain, was quoted as saying, “We came together to fight, it’s fight time ... you want to do me dirty and then two minutes later, you want to be my friend? This is the hurting business. Only the strong survive.”
Fans are looking forward to Pacquiao teaching Mayweather a bitter lesson in humility.