Those Filipino health officials who were blathering away about national treasure Manny Pacquiao possibly bringing the dreaded swine flu back from America with him were ridiculous, I will agree.
Just some minor bureaucrats looking for newspaper ink and broadcast mentions, leeches looking to attach their name to the Pacman banner.
I was ruminating about this as I read Pacman coach-mentor Freddie Roach?s thoughtful and well reasoned admonition to latest Pacman victim, the pulverized Ricky Hatton, to seriously consider ring retirement.
Roach sounded like a well meaning Jewish grandmother in his remarks. He underlined how dangerous receiving punches in bunches can be and cited his own case, how he fought about five bouts too many and wound up with the debilitating Parkinson?s syndrome which afflicts him now.
Can you imagine a trainer named Mayweather publicly expressing concern about a fighter?s health and welfare? In case you missed it, on the very day of Pacquiao?s dismantling of the Floyd Mayweather Sr.-trained Hatton, his own brother, Roger ?Black Mamba? Mayweather, ripped his kin.
?My brother couldn?t train a dog,? Roger told media gathered in Las Vegas for poorly timed Juan Manuel Marquez-Floyd Mayweather Jr. presser, an event designed to upstage Hatton-Pacman but which fell flat as a pancake.
Roger Dodger did not cover fleas so I suppose maybe he feels his brother could train some of those insects.
Speaking of insects, I am wandering. Let me get back to a second Pinoy treasure, by fistic injection, meaning Coach Roach. While Freddie, who turned 49 on March 5, is flagging real health concerns for the beaten Hatton, my concern is for the trainer who may need his own trainer.
Simply put, for a guy who is physically challenged and takes what seems like heavy medication to function on a daily basis, I fear that Good Guy Freddie is burning the candle at both ends.
No, I don?t mean with wine, women and song although I think it?s safe to say Roach is considered a top class bachelor given his fame and wealth.
I think Coach Roach may have to start doing some 12 stepping. I fear that Manny?s Mentor is a boxing workaholic and I just don?t see him delegating enough of his work with the boxers and MM stars he has beyond Da Pacman.
Yes, Roach has taken his former charge and heavyweight champion, the slugging southpaw Michael Moorer under his wing. Moorer seemed to function smoothly and give Freddie a second set of eyes and ears in the run up to the Hatton massacre.
All that is well and good but Roach still is flooring the gas pedal at an advanced age.
Pacman is on his well deserved extended holiday now in the wake of his Greatest Hit.
But, while Megamanny rests and plays and is surrounded by friends and family, Coach Roach is back in the salt mine overseeing star Amir Khan as he preps for a June 27 world title chance in London.
Khan has been telling press and peeps that Roach is pushing him hard.
Hey, that?s what the Wizard of the Wild Card does; demand extreme sacrifice from his fighters so they are more than prepared when real combat ensues.
But isn?t Roach just jumping from the high intensity frying pan of the Hatton bout and into the fire of Khan?s high profile challenge against Andreas Kotelnik?
Ferris Bueller of movie fame took a day off but workaholic or boxaholic Roach doesn?t ever seem to kick back.
Roach seems to me to be overloaded, overextended and headed for a physical crash and burn situation unless he swallows some chill pills along with his other meds.
It weighs heavily on Roach?s brilliant boxing mind, those last five bouts he took without having a manager who could have reined him in.
Having covered the altar boy looking Roach back in the day, I wanted to refresh my memory of the tail end of his career so I went to Boxrec.
Actually, it was the final seven bouts Roach had, most of them in the backyard of unbeaten or nearly unbeaten rising stars that probably did severe damage to his health.
Greg Haugen, who became a world champ, halted Roach in seven rounds when Haugen was 11-0.
Then he got outpointed by future champ Hector Camacho (27-0) over 10 rounds.
Darryl Tyson, the very tough Washington, DC, veteran was 23-1 when he decisioned Roach over 12 hard rounds.
Then Freddie got stopped in 10 by 20-1-2 Andy Nance.
Roach squeezed in one final victory before ending his good career in Lowell, Mass., losing a majority 10-round decision to 9-0 local David Rivello.
Finally, Roach packed it in. He knew his reflexes were not the same.
He knew he was getting hit shots which he used to elude.
No one, least of all Pacquiao fans, wants to see Roach quit training.
He is the Professor of Pugilism, the standard by which all others are judged.
But, come on Friend Freddie, ease up.
Take a break after the Khan fight.
Do not go anywhere in the Philippines because those who adulate you would not permit you any rest there even in the most idyllic places.
For you strolling the Cebu waterfront would turn into an autograph, handshaking parade.
Stay local, stay in or near SoCal.
Hit Malibu Beach. Take a weekend trip up to gorgeous Santa Barbara. Go further north to Paso Robles and take in the scenic wine country.
Get out to a Dodgers game or two. Whatever you do leave boxing and the gym in the rear view mirror for a spell.
Even the Energizer Bunny has to recharge his batteries occasionally.
I will leave you, Coach, with this thought to avoid a major burnout.
Take the entire month of July off. No mas boxeo for one whole month.
You should because other teachers, and that is what you are, take the entire summer off.
You’re going too fast, Coach. You’re doing 75 in an age 50 zone. There’s a reason the national speed limit is 55.
Slow down or hit the wall.
This message may cause your Irish blood pressure to rise but someone had to say it.
Michael is a former sports columnist at the New York Post. He was a criminal defense attorney and worked for sports legends Howard Cosell and Don King. Marley also operates BoxingConfidential.com. Email him your thoughts. He makes it a practice to always recommend Pacland and Philboxing.
