Freddie Roach (boxing)

Freddie Roach
Statistics
Real name	Frederick Roach
Nickname(s)	Master Roach[1][2] La Cucaracha[3] The Choir Boy[3]
Rated at	Featherweight Super Featherweight Lightweight
Nationality	American
Born	March 5, 1960 East Dedham, Massachusetts
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	53
Wins	40
Wins by KO	15
Losses	13
Draws	0
No contests	0

Frederick Steven "Freddie" Roach (born March 5, 1960) is an American boxing trainer and former boxer. 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., former UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St-Pierre, as well as top prospects Jose Benavidez,^[4] Peter Quillin,^[5] and Vanes Martirosyan. Roach was the trainer of former two-time world champion and notable women's champion Lucia Rijker.^[6] He has also trained former junior welterweight champion Amir Khan.

Boxing career

Roach was trained by Tariq Nasiri at a young age along with his brothers Joey and Pepper. 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 legendary trainer 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

Boxing trainer

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.^[8] 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.^[9] He is one of the most popular trainers in boxing. 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 super welterweight Champion) Training Stretch for his WBO Middleweight Championship challenge against Chris Eubanks 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.^[10][11] Roach has trained 27 world champions to date 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.^[12] 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 BJ 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.^[13] Roach has also trained many other prominent mixed martial artists, such as: pro-boxer and kickboxer, and former EliteXC Lightweight Champion, K.J. Noons,^[14] Roger Huerta,^[15] and Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou.^[16] In March 2010, Roach expressed interest in wanting to train former Pride FC and WAMMA Heavyweight champion, Fedor Emelianenko.^[17]

Parkinson's disease

Roach suffers from Parkinson's disease.^[18][19] 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

• 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"^[20][21]
• 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)

Notable boxers trained

Key

^−	Former World Champions
*	Current World Champions

• Fighters whose names are in italics are training with Roach.^[22]

Nationality	Name	Weight Class	Notes
British	^−Amir Khan	Light Welterweight
Filipino	^−Ana Julaton(w)	Super Bantamweight
Mexican	Andy Ruiz	Heavyweight
Filipino	Dennis Bautista	Featherweight
Irish	^−Bernard Dunne	Super Bantamweight
American	^−Bernard Hopkins	Light Heavyweight
Filipino	Bobby Pacquiao	Lightweight
American	Brian Minto	Cruiserweight
American	^−Brian Viloria	Flyweight
British	Craig McEwan	Middleweight
American	Daniel Jacobs	Middleweight
American	David Rodela	Super Featherweight
Russian	^−Dimitri Kirilov	Super Flyweight
Filipino	Diosdado Gabi	Bantamweight
American	Efrain Esquivias, Jr.	Super Bantamweight
American	^−Frankie Liles	Super Middleweight
British	^−Gary Stretch	Super Welterweight
Cuban	*Guillermo Rigondeaux	Super Bantamweight
Filipino	^−Gerry Peñalosa	Bantamweight
Mexican	^−Israel Vasquez	Super Bantamweight
American	^−James Toney	Heavyweight
Irish	Jamie Kavanagh	Lightweight
Canadian	^−Jean Pascal	Light heavyweight
Danish	^−Johnny Bredahl	Bantamweight
American	^−Johnny Tapia	Bantamweight
Venezuelan	^−Jorge Linares	Lightweight
American	José Benavidez	Light Welterweight
Mexican	Juan Lazcano	Lightweight
Mexican	^−Julio César Chávez, Jr.	Middleweight
Armenian	Kahren Harutyunyan	Bantamweight
Nigerian	Kingsley Ikeke	Super Middleweight
Nigerian	Lateef Kayode	Cruiserweight
Dutch	^−Lucia Rijker(w)	Light Welterweight
Filipino	^−Manny Pacquiao	Welterweight
American	^−Marlon Starling	Welterweight
Filipino	Michael Domingo	Bantamweight
Filipino	Michael Farenas	Super Featherweight
American	^− Michael Moorer	Light Heavyweight
American	Mickey Rourke	Light Heavyweight
Puerto Rican	*Miguel Cotto	Middleweight
American	^−Mike Tyson	Heavyweight
American	^−Oscar De La Hoya	Welterweight	Only for his fight with Mayweather (2007).
Jamaican	^−O'Neil Bell	Cruiserweight
American	Peter Manfredo Jr.	Middleweight
American	Peter Quillin	Middleweight
American	Frankie Gómez	Junior Welterweight
Mexican	Raymundo Beltrán	Lightweight
Filipino	Rey Bautista	Featherweight
Russian	^−Roman Karmazin	Light Heavyweight
Russian	Ruslan Provodnikov	Light Welterweight
Irish	^−Steve Collins	Super Middleweight
Armenian	Vanes Martirosyan	Super Welterweight
American	^−Virgil Hill	Light Heavyweight
Northern Irish	^−Wayne McCullough	Featherweight
Ukrainian	*Wladimir Klitschko	Heavyweight	(former assistant trainer)
Nigerian	Wale Omotoso	Welterweight
American	Willie Jorrin	Super Bantamweight
Chinese	Zou Shiming	Flyweight

Other people

As of August 1, 2011:

Name	Occupation	Reason for	Duration	Notes
O'Neal, ShaquilleShaquille O'Neal	Former NBA player	Shaq Vs.	2 Episodes	Trainer for Shaquille O'Neal for both Oscar De La Hoya and Shane Mosley matches[23]
Wahlberg, MarkMark Wahlberg	Actor	The Fighter	-	Trainer for Mark Wahlberg[24]

Notable mixed martial artists trained

Key

^−	Former World Champions
	Current World Champions

Nationality	Name	Weight Class	Notes
Brazilian	^−Anderson Silva	Middleweight
Belarusian	^−Andrei Arlovski	Heavyweight
American	^−B.J. Penn	Lightweight
Japanese	^−Caol Uno	Lightweight
English	Dan Hardy	Welterweight
American	^−Frank Mir	Heavyweight
Armenian	^−Gegard Mousasi	Light Heavyweight
Brazilian	^−José Aldo	Featherweight
American	^−K.J. Noons	Lightweight
American	Mark Munoz	Middleweight
American	Diego Sanchez	Lightweight
Brazilian	^−Maurício Rua	Light Heavyweight
Cameroonian	Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou	Light Heavyweight
American	Roger Huerta	Lightweight
American	^−Tito Ortiz	Light Heavyweight
Canadian	^−Georges St-Pierre	Welterweight

References

1. Roach goes from 'coach' to 'master' – Fightnews
2. No denying Freddie Roach is the very best – Boxing – Yahoo! Sports
3. Freddie Roach – Boxrec Boxing Encyclopaedia
4. Profile of Roach-trained prospect Benavidez – Top Rank Boxing
5. Peter Quillin to train with Freddie Roach
6. "A Quick Guide To The Freddie Roach Career". Boxing News and Views. Retrieved 2016-04-25.
7. "Freddie Roach Professional boxing record". BoxRec.com.
8. Thesweetscience.com Archived September 18, 2009, at the Wayback Machine.
9. Pepper Roach Interview on Manny Pacquiao vs Miguel Cotto, Floyd Mayweather Jr, James Toney, Oscar De La Hoya, Bernard Hopkins, Prediction and More!
10. Chelin, Pamela (October 3, 2013). "Zachary Wohlman, aka 'Kid Yamaka,' Is Boxing's Great Jewish Hope". LA Weekly. Retrieved March 31, 2014.
11. "Zachary Wohlman, a.k.a. Kid Yamaka". Fight Network. Retrieved March 31, 2014.
12. Boxing's Freddie Roach working with Andrei Arlovski – Yahoo! Sports
13. It Begins: GSP Honing His Knuckle-Game With Freddie Roach
14. Former EliteXC champ K.J. Noons drops decision in weekend boxing bout NMAjunkie.com
15. Rogerhuerta.com
16. Freddie Roach really likes training NMA fighters – Watch Kalib Run
17. Freddie Roach ruminates on NMA fighters' boxing abilities at the USATODAY.com
18. Lawrence Donegan (December 5, 2008). "Big interview: Amir Khan's trainer Freddie Roach". The Guardian.
19. FREDDIE ROACH PREDICTS ARLOVSKI TO KO FEDOR- MMA WEEKLY – Mixed Martial Arts & UFC News, Photos, Rankings & more
20. Abs-cbnnews, Pacquiao coach Freddie Roach gets WBC award
21. Philboxing.com, FREDDIE ROACH RECEIVES WBC AWARD
22. Boxrec.com
23. Las Vegas Sun
24. Howcelebsgetfit.com

External links

• Wild Card Boxing Club, Hollywood, CA – Freddie Roach
• Arum feud
• Freddie Roach at the Internet Movie Database
• Professional boxing record for Freddie Roach from BoxRec
• Freddie Roach on Twitter