MANILA, Philippines — For Justin Fortune, it’s time to strike a fortune on his own — away from the shadow of famous trainer Freddie Roach.
Fortune left Roach’s Wild Card Gym in a huff on Saturday, severing his ties with the two-time Trainer of the Year who is credited for Manny Pacquiao’s rise to ring stardom.
Roach had entrusted to Fortune the training of Pacquiao for his recent fight with Mexican Jorge Solis, while he prepared Oscar De La Hoya in Puerto Rico for his world title fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr.
The parting with Fortune was bitter, according to Roach, in an interview with Brad Cooney of PhilBoxing.com on Thursday.
Roach said Fortune’s things were gone when he returned to Wild Card on Sunday, including what he said was his share in trainer’s fee from Pacquiao’s fight against Solis and from Israel Vasquez’s last fight.
“I got a message from Fortune,” Roach said, “and he told me that he’s taking all of the trainer fee money for both Pacquiao and Vasquez, and to go ‘f – – -’ myself.”
Pacquiao wrote the check as trainer’s fee in the name of Fortune, although Roach flew in from Puerto Rico to be at the Filipino’s corner on fight night.
Roach said Fortune even tried to convince Bobby Pacquiao, Manny’s younger brother who is training at Wild Card in preparation for his June 9 bout against Mexican Humberto Soto in New York, to leave with him.
Bobby opted to stay put.
“It’s too bad that some people change when it comes to money,” said Roach. “I was beginning to see that Justin was getting too big for his own head when I was in Puerto Rico training Oscar.”
Fortune, a former Australian heavyweight fighter, had expressed his desire to be Pacquiao’s main corner man against Solis.
