Freddie Roach didn’t get to be a four-time trainer of the year by being a yes man ? by making fighters’ lives easier by telling them what they want to hear, when they want to hear it.
But after three weeks at the Wild Card Gym in Hollywood, Calif., with Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., Roach has had only good things to say about his newest client.
Yes, Chavez is abundantly skilled.
Yes, he has the tools to become a world champion.
No, he’s not a fighter who’s afraid to work.
?They’ve been telling me he’s lazy, he’s this and he’s that,? Roach said. ?He’s not lazy. Everything I tell him, he does. I’m happily surprised. I didn’t expect all this. So far, it’s been working out great.?
The only negative for Roach, widely considered the top trainer in the sport primarily for his work with pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao, is the short amount of time he has to work with Chavez before his showdown against John Duddy on June 26 at the Alamodome.
The 12-round fight is the main event atop a 10-bout card.
?I wish we had a tuneup fight first,? Roach said. ?I don’t know how much I can do in six weeks. But we should be able to do enough to win this fight and go on to bigger and better things.?
That’s the hope of Bob Arum, CEO of Top Rank, the promoter for Chavez.
A 24-year-old middleweight and son of the Mexican legend by the same name, Chavez (40-0-1, 30 KOs) is coming off a 10-round unanimous decision over Troy Rowland in November.
But after Chavez tested positive for a banned diuretic, the fight was ruled a no contest and Chavez was suspended for six months by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
Chavez took the diuretic because he had trouble making the 160-pound weight limit for the fight. Arum took that as a sign that his fighter was not taking his craft seriously.
Enter Roach, a no-nonsense former boxer whose mentor was Joe Frazier’s Hall of Fame cornerman Eddie Futch.
?He’ll make him work his (expletive) off,? Arum said. ?Chavez is naturally lazy. He’s either going to be great or flame out.?
So far, Roach is leaning toward the former, although he concedes it’s still early.
What does he see so far?
He says Chavez is like his father in many ways. Too many ways, perhaps.
?He likes to sit in the pocket and exchange,? Roach said. ?It’s going to be hard to change him. He’s still going to want to do it sometimes. I want to teach him how to do it more effectively.?
Chavez is a legitimate 6-feet tall. His father was only 5-foot-5. That means Junior must learn to fight tall. In other words, use his jab, the most important punch in boxing.
Roach also said Chavez right now is mostly a one-handed fighter. He said Chavez has a good left hook to the body, but doesn’t ?have confidence in it.?
Roach said the best part of working with Chavez has been his attitude.
He said the only time Chavez, who speaks mostly Spanish, claims he doesn’t understand what Roach is saying is ?when I’m pushing him? during conditioning drills. But that’s rare.
?I don’t have time for lazy people,? Roach said. ?And from what I’ve seen, Chavez isn’t lazy. I’m not sure if he’s just trying to impress me, but if so, great. He’s doing it.?
Chavez called Roach ?the world’s best trainer.?
?It hasn’t been easy,? Chavez said through an interpreter. ?But I expected it to be hard. I have a lot to prove for my fans. I know Freddie will bring out the best in me.?
By being an honest voice.
