TO PROVE that he will go all the way for Manny Pacquiao, American trainer Freddie Roach revealed yesterday that he is willing to set up a training camp in the country in the buildup for the Filipino’s planned April 28 bout in Macau.
Roach and his friend Billy Keane arrived in the country late Tuesday night via Northwest Airlines and said he’s here for some rest and recreation.
“I am on vacation,” said Roach, smiling, when asked about the purpose of his trip which surprised many because he was in the country less than a month ago when he attended Pacquiao’s lavish birthday bash in General Santos City.
It’s possible Roach could be here for the long haul. There’s the Boxing World Cup between boxers from Mexico and the Philippines next month till early March and immediately after, he starts training Pacquiao for his April fight in Macau.
He will be so busy with Philippine activities that he’s actually in search of a suitable training gym for his ward.
“Where do you think’s the best place to train?” asked Roach.
He answered his own question by saying that he was impressed with the facilities owned by Tony Aldeguer in Cebu City. “I want to bring him where there’s less distractions.”
“That gym is very nice,” said Roach, who saw the ALA Boxing Club late last year to visit two fighters he has trained in Los Angeles . The two are super-bantamweight Rey ‘Boom Boom’ Bautista and super-fly Z Gorres, who are seeing action on the March 4 slugfest being put up by Aldeguer and Oscar dela Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions (GBP) in the RP vs Mexico slugfest.
Asked about the recent promotional battle involving the Filipino fighter and two of the world’s top promoters, Roach said he doesn’t wish to say anything anymore about Pacquiao’s decision to choose Top Rank over GBP.
“I will just do my job and that’s to train him,” said Roach, who has been calling the shots for the 28-year-old southpaw since mid-2001 and who has made known that he would have preferred Golden Boy over Top Rank.
Though Roach prefers to train Pacquiao at his Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood, this matter wasn’t raised when he met with the boxer yesterday who was having a late-lunch of garlic rice and salmon at the Presidential Suite of The Diamond Hotel.
Their conversation was brief, just an exchange of hellos. But it was warm and sincere and one could sense their bond remains tight.
Both declined to talk about a beer commercial they plan to do with Erik Morales, who is in town for the project.
