“We didn’t have a swingset in my backyard growing up, but we had a boxing ring.” –Freddie Roach
Born in Dedham, Massachusetts, in 1960, Freddie Roach grew up in the boxing world. Roach’s father would have the younger Freddie fight his older brother Pepper in the backyard, and whoever did the best, got preferential treatment. That’s just the way it was growing up in the Roach household. Freddie would come home from school, do his homework, run his paper route, and once finished with that, his father would load him up and take him to the boxing gym.
Freddie, one day, started to enjoy and like the sport, and shortly after that, he became the best fighter in the house. He would then venture into the amateur boxing world, but there wasn’t too much boxing activity in his area. In 1976, Freddie would fight in the Nationals out in Las Vegas. Once there, he realized that Massachusetts was not the place for him. Roach, with the company of his Father, moved to Las Vegas and his professional boxing career would then begin.
Freddie met the great Boxing Trainer, Eddie Futch, and he made his father a promise. He told Freddie’s dad that he would take care of his son. Eddie Futch had Roach fighting 12 times in his first year as a pro in Las Vegas, and that would get the attention of professional boxing Promoter, Bob Arum. Arum liked what he saw in Roach, and shortly afterwards, he would sign him to his first professional boxing contract.
Roach admits that he was at his best at 122 lbs, with fights against big names such as former World Champions Bobby Chacon and Hector Camacho, SR., he would quickly establish himself as one of the toughest fighters in the business throughout the 1980’s.
A broken hand would end Freddie’s professional boxing career, and at 27 years of age, he would retire. One day he was watching former Light Heavyweight and Current Cruiserweight Champion, Virgil Hill work out, and he noticed that Virgil didn’t have anyone giving him any water in his corner. Freddie walked over to Virgil between rounds, and asked him if he wanted some water. Roach gave Virgil a little advice with that water, and he went on and had a great sparring session. Freddie’s professional training career would then start, and the rest my friends, is history.
RSR sat down with Freddie Roach and got one of the most in depth interviews that you will ever read about him. Roach brings us on a ride back in time, back to the 1960’s, when his dad had him fighting is older brother Pepper in the back yard. We go through the 70’s and 80’s as Freddie would go on to a great professional boxing career. Freddie takes us through his retirement from professional boxing, and into what is sure to be one of the greatest training careers in boxing’s history.
BC: Take the RSR readers back to where and when it all started.
I was born in Dedham, Massachusetts. I then moved to California for a few years, but my Mother didn’t like it. We ended moving back to Massachusetts. My dad was a fighter, and so I got my first pair of gloves when I was 5 years old. We didn’t have a swingset in our backyard, but we had a boxing ring. My dad pushed us to box, and if we didn’t like boxing, life wasn’t too easy in my house. If you did like boxing, life was a little bit easier for you. My Mother was actually a boxing judge for nine years. She got sick of seeing us lose fights that we should have been ruled as winning, so she went out and got license to judge. Fighting was a part of life in the Roach household…that’s just the way it was.
BC: Did you want to fight as a kid, or did you fight because of the iron fist that your dad put down?
Well, I didn’t really like it. The thing is I would get home from school, do my homework, and then run my paper route. We trained Monday through Thursday, and we would take Friday off. We traveled to fights on the weekends. We would go to Boston, Hyde Park, or Newton to get more experience, training in different gyms. When I was 6 or 7 years old, my dad had me getting up and doing road work. I didn’t have many friends growing up because my training took up all of my time. One day I started to like boxing, and shortly after that, I turned into the best fighter in the house.
BC: Was there a lot of animosity towards your dad?
You know what? My dad disciplined us pretty hard. My Mother was a nicer, more passive lady, but I got along with my Father better for some reason. Sometimes when we got the beatings, we deserved them (laughs), we weren’t angels.
BC: I met your brother Pepper, and I have a feeling that he got into trouble a few times (laughs).
More than a couple of times, but since he was the best fighter in the house, he didn’t get disciplined as much. My dad was not a drinker…liquor wasn’t even allowed in our house. My dad had a little bit of a chip on his shoulder because life was difficult for him. My dad had 7 children. He broke his back. My dad was a tree surgeon, an Arborist. My last job not in the boxing world was working with my dad as a tree surgeon. I was not into school…it wasn’t my thing…so I got into forestry.
BC: How did you end up getting to Las Vegas and starting your professional boxing career?
Well I had fought in The Nationals in 1976. There was a weekly show in Las Vegas at The Silver Slipper. There were a lot of small Mexican fighters there, and I was a 122 pounder, so I knew that I could stay really busy fighting out there. The West Coast was the place to be. I had 4 pro fights in Boston, but there was no competition out there, so my Dad and I decided to move me to Las Vegas. My first year in Vegas, I fought 12 times. It was a very active place to learn the trade.
BC: Who was your first trainer out in Las Vegas?
My dad stayed with me for the first five days. We met Eddie Futch in the gym. Mr. Futch made my dad a promise that he would take care of me. I really liked Mr. Futch. He was a great guy, and a great teacher. I fought 12 times the first year at The Silver Slipper, and that’s when I met Bob Arum. Bob liked my style, and we talked, and then he put me on one of the first ESPN shows ever aired. I did very well, winning my first Main Event, and signed with Top Rank shortly after that.
BC: You fought some very big names throughout your career, such as former World Champions Hector Camacho, SR. and Bobby Chacon. Talk about those fights.
I was going along on my way. Eddie was my trainer and my manager, and he did everything for me because I didn’t have the money to take care of myself. I had to have a job throughout my career. I worked as a bus boy at the Golden Nugget, and I was a dishwasher right after that. I left that job because it makes you hate people (laughs). I never give waitresses or bus boys a hard time, (because) it’s a tough job (laughs).
I had a job and worked my whole career. Eddie would get me fights, and he got me plenty because I was a white kid that fought hard and bled a little bit. I thought I was going to be a World Champion. I was ranked as high as eighth in the world, but I broke my hand, and I had to have surgery 6 months after that. My first fight back, I broke my hand again. I was at my best when I was at 122 lbs, 21 years old, and cocky. Even with fighting Bobby Chacon, and Camacho, I was at my best at 122 lbs. I lost my punching power after the hand injury. I was a game fighter, but things just didn’t work out for me. I retired at 27 years old.
BC: Talk about how you got to be a boxing trainer.
Virgil Hill was getting a guy named James Shuler ready to fight Thomas Hearns. I was watching them spar and I noticed that, in between rounds nobody was giving Virgil any water. I ended up going over there and helping his corner out, and I gave the guy some advice. Virgil ended up doing very well, so he asked me to be his trainer. Eight months later, Virgil fought for a world championship, and he won. That was my first world champion.
BC: Well known boxing analyst, Al Bernstein, said that you were one of the toughest ESPN fighters that he has ever seen. What are your thoughts on that?
I fought very hard back then, (and) I was a white kid that bled a lot. I was a better boxer than what showed, but once I got hit I was like: “Forget it, let’s go!” The highlight of my career was, after one of my fights, when Randy Gordon (former ESPN announcer) asked me who I wanted to fight next, Salvador Sanchez or Wilfredo Gomez? Just to be mentioned with those two names was a real treat.
When I was a 122 pounder just coming up, I was fearless, and I was a young hungry kid. If I wouldn’t have broken my hand, I think I would have been a World Champion, but maybe I wouldn’t be where I am today, so everything happens for a reason. I think I would rather be a World Champion…I wanted to be one badly. Making World Champions helps that, but I would rather have been one.
In Part II tomorrow of: More Than a Boxing Trainer: The Life and Times of Freddie Roach, we will talk about the disease that he lives with every day of his life. We will also talk about the legacy that he wants to leave behind when he finally retires from the sport of boxing.
Freddie Roach Division: Lightweight Professional Record: 39-13, 15 KO’s
Date Opponent Location Result 1986-10-24 David Rivello Lowell, MA, USA L MD 10 1986-08-14 Arnel Arrozal Lynnwood, WA, USA W TKO 5 1986-04-17 Andrew Nance San Rafael, CA, USA L KO 10 1986-03-01 Darryl Tyson Washington, DC, USA L UD 12 WBC Continental Americas Lightweight Title
1985-12-18 Hector Camacho Sacramento, CA, USA L UD 10 1985-08-22 Greg Haugen Las Vegas, NV, USA L TKO 7 1985-06-30 Joey Olivera Las Vegas, NV, USA W PTS 8 1985-05-23 Martin Morado Irvine, CA, USA W TKO 8 1985-04-09 Jaime Balboa Sacramento, CA, USA W PTS 10 1985-03-05 Bobby Chacon Sacramento, CA, USA L MD 10
1984-12-20 Efrain Nieves Las Vegas, NV, USA L UD 10 1984-10-11 Richie Foster Las Vegas, NV, USA W TKO 8 1984-08-09 Joe Ruelaz Las Vegas, NV, USA W TKO 4 1984-06-12 Tommy Cordova Las Vegas, NV, USA L SD 12 1984-04-12 Efrain Nieves Portland, OR, USA NC NC 8 1984-03-21 Delio Palacios Pasadena, TX, USA W PTS 10
1983-11-10 Louis Burke Las Vegas, NV, USA L PTS 10 1983-08-25 Carlos Bryant Las Vegas, NV, USA W PTS 10 1983-06-30 Reynaldo Zaragoza Las Vegas, NV, USA W KO 8 1983-04-14 Louis Burke Las Vegas, NV, USA L PTS 12 1983-02-07 Bobby Pappion Las Vegas, NV, USA W KO 9
1982-12-23 Danny Cruz Las Vegas, NV, USA W PTS 10 1982-11-25 Danny Cruz Las Vegas, NV, USA W PTS 10 1982-09-23 Martin Galvan Las Vegas, NV, USA W PTS 10 1982-07-01 Lenny Valdez Las Vegas, NV, USA L TKO 2 1982-06-11 Rafael Lopez Boston, MA, USA L PTS 10 1982-04-17 Juan Veloz Las Vegas, NV, USA W PTS 10
1981-12-26 Herman Ingram Atlantic City, NJ, USA W PTS 8 1981-05-28 Mario Chavez Las Vegas, NV, USA W PTS 10 1981-03-26 Jose Resendez Las Vegas, NV, USA W PTS 10 1981-02-23 Javier Flores Atlantic City, NJ, USA W KO 8 1981-02-12 David Capo Boston, MA, USA W PTS 10 1981-01-17 Joe Phillips Boston, MA, USA W PTS 10
1980-11-01 Jose Resendez Stateline, NV, USA W PTS 8 1980-10-09 Pedro Gonzalez Phoenix, AZ, USA W KO 4 1980-08-27 Jose Resendez Las Vegas, NV, USA W PTS 10 1980-07-11 Manuel Martinez Phoenix, AZ, USA W KO 3 1980-04-16 Lionel Harney Las Vegas, NV, USA W KO 6 1980-04-02 Billy Martinez Las Vegas, NV, USA W KO 2 1980-01-23 Roberto Flores Las Vegas, NV, USA W KO 1
1979-12-12 Luis Avila Las Vegas, NV, USA W PTS 6 1979-10-24 Ruben Moreno Las Vegas, NV, USA W PTS 6 1979-09-13 Beto Nunez Phoenix, AZ, USA L PTS 6 1979-08-29 Francisco Pico Las Vegas, NV, USA W PTS 6 1979-08-10 Desi Newbill San Diego, CA, USA W PTS 6 1979-08-02 Ricardo Hurtado Phoenix, AZ, USA W KO 1 1979-07-25 Adolfo Hurtado Las Vegas, NV, USA W UD 6 1979-06-27 John Papin Las Vegas, NV, USA W UD 6 1979-06-06 Ney Santiago Las Vegas, NV, USA W TKO 6 1979-02-03 Eddie Bracetty Boston, MA, USA W PTS 6
1978-12-21 Eddie Bracetty Portland, ME, USA W PTS 6 1978-09-16 Jose Maldonado Yarmouth, MA, USA W KO 6 1978-08-24 Roberto Vasquez Boston, MA, USA W PTS 6
