One of the hottest gyms in boxing is trainer Freddie Roach’s Wild Card Gym in Hollywood, California. Superstar Manny Pacquiao is just one of the high-profile fighters currently training there. “Pacquiao is training very well,” Roach told Fightnews. “He’s on time and we went ten rounds with the mitts today. We’re working on the strategy of the fight, we’re fighting a southpaw. We had too many people — there weren’t many spectators in the gym, but it’s just too crowded with all the fighters here so tomorrow I have to move him next door [to Freddie’s private gym]. More privacy, you know?”
——————————————————————————– Regarding the shock loss of Roman Karmazin over the weekend, Roach said, “The round before he was stopped he told me, ‘I have nothing left.’ He had no energy at all, which is unusual. I think he had trouble making the weight.” ——————————————————————————– Roach has a busy schedule in the coming weeks. “I’ve got Dimitri Kirilov going in New York the day before Klitschko, Roger ‘Speedy’ Gonzalez is going in Philly on March 7th, Gerry Penaloza is defending the title against a Thai fighter [Ratanachai Sor Vorapin], a mandatory, that’s on March 2nd in Manila and Manny Pacquiao is March 15th, of course. I just started with Juan Carlos Gomez, too.” ——————————————————————————– Roach may also be training Bernard Hopkins for the second straight fight. “Somebody wrote that I didn’t want to train Bernard Hopkins because I didn’t have time because of Pacquiao. I don’t remember saying that, but I’d love to train Hopkins if things work out, of course. Somebody quoted me the other way, but I’m just waiting to hear from Bernard. If he wants me I’m available.”
