THE boxing guru who transformed Manny Pacquiao into a terrific wrecking machine will not be in his corner when the Filipino fighter faces tough Korean slugger Injin Chi in April.
This, after Freddie Roach, Pacquiao’s famed American trainer, has decided to accept an offer from Oscar dela Hoya for him to train the flamboyant boxer when he trades punches with the crafty Floyd Mayweather Jr. for the super welterweight title on May 5 in Las Vegas.
will be the first time since Pacquiao’s fight with Lehlo Ledwaba that Roach won’t be in his corner.
Roach said he will leave it to Justine Fortune, the Filipino’s conditioning coach, to work his corner instead for the Chi fight.
Dela Hoya’s choice of Roach was announced Tuesday during a conference call from Puerto Rico, where the Golden Boy will be training for the coming fight.
“This is a huge opportunity for me,” Roach said. “You’re going to see the best Oscar De La Hoya in your life fighting Floyd Mayweather.” De La Hoya declined to disclose his financial arrangement with Roach.
Previously, De La Hoya had said he wouldn’t fight without Floyd Mayweather Sr. in his corner.
“He does have the tools necessary to show me how to beat his son,” he said. But De La Hoya was quick to point out Roach’s selling points.
“He’s a great strategist and he knows how to dissect the opponent. That’s what I need in my career,” he said. “I need that sense of secureness. Freddie is a secure trainer when he’s in the corner.”
Floyd Mayweather Sr., his opponent’s father, had earlier demanded from dela Hoya a $2 million fee for the fight.
Roach earlier declared he won’t be training Dela Hoya for this particular fight, and he will instead concentrate on Pacquiao’s training after noting that the Korean is no easy prey.
After dela Hoya talked to him, Roach had a sudden change of heart.
And this will bring big changes for the Pacquiao camp as the punching machine from General Santos City prepares for his fight with Chi, which is to be staged in Macau.
Roach said he had discussed the matter with Pacquiao and the Filipino southpaw welcomed the development.
“I talked with Pacquiao, he congratulated me,” Roach was quoted by a boxing website as saying. (With a report from AP)
