Dedham?s Freddie Roach is used to working in the spotlight.
The super bantamweight boxer turned coach has trained 28 champions, from Mike Tyson to Manny Pacquiao.
Now the focus is on him.
HBO spent a year following the future International Boxing Hall of Famer (he will be inducted in June) at his Hollywood, Calif.-based Wild Card Boxing Club for its six-part series ?On Freddie Roach,? premiering tonight at 9:30.
?It?s really hard to get up at 6 a.m. and have a camera in your face. And go to bed at 11 p.m. and have a camera in your face,? Roach, 51, told the Herald. ?My girlfriend hated it. She would wake up an hour early and go home.?
The series, produced by Peter Berg (?Friday Night Lights?), delves into Roach?s life in and out of the gym, including his -tumultuous childhood and battle with Parkinson?s -disease.
?We all have problems in life, and we all have down times,? Roach said. ?I just want to show people that no matter how bad it gets, you can work through it. My dad taught me you get knocked down, but you get up and get on with it. Positive thinking, no matter what struggles we go through, we can prevail.?
Roach began fighting at age 6 under the tutelage of his father, Paul, a former New England Featherweight Champion. Roach turned pro in 1978, and -after 41 wins and 13 losses, hung up his gloves in 1987 to turn to coaching. In 1990, Roach was diagnosed with Parkinson?s.
He credits his mentor and coach, the late Eddie Futch, with teaching him the formula for success.
?I want to be remembered like he is, as a good guy and gentleman, but as somebody who doesn?t take (expletive) from anybody either,? Roach said. ?The show captures that. It truly captures my best days and my worst days.?
The show also captures the eclectic cast of characters surrounding him. For a $5 access fee, anyone can train at the Wild Card.
?You might be a secretary or a nurse and have a world champion working out next to you,? he said.
Or Roach?s friend Mickey Rourke (?The Wrestler?), or Mario Lopez (TV?s ?Extra?), or U.S. Olympic team hopefuls training for the 2012 London Olympics.
?I don?t discriminate,? Roach said. ?I have some who come in and want to beat up the world, and I throw them out.?
Roach said taping wrapped last week. He?ll watch the episodes as they air, but said it?s difficult to look at himself on camera.
?I?m not that type of person. I hope everyone enjoys the show. I?m not sure if I?ll do it again. It was a long year for me, but never say never.?
