Roach unable to reach Pacquiao about training camp

If you run into Manny Pacquiao, tell him Freddie Roach would like to talk to him.

Roach, the pound-for-pound king’s Los Angeles-based trainer, can’t seem to reach his fighter in the Philippines even though his next fight -– against Miguel Cotto on Nov. 14 in Las Vegas –- is only 10 weeks away.

At issue is the location of their training camp. Pacquiao must train all but three weeks outside the United States for the bulk of camp to save on taxes. The question is: Where will they go?

“Well, I don’t know,” Roach said. “No one has contacted me. Mike Koncz [Pacquiao’s advisor] said, ‘You don’t have to talk to Freddie Roach. He’s just the trainer.’ If he wants to have that attitude, what can I do?”

Roach thinks camp will end up in the worst place possible.

“I have a camp set up in Toluca, Mexico,” he said. “I have an offer to go to Puerto Vallarta. I have an offer to go to Cancun. I have an offer to go to the Bahamas. I would say Toluca is the best option. It’s private, quiet, not a vacation-type of area. The gym is owned by the government. It’s a very safe place. A federal marshal works up there; he’d be with us the whole time. Security wouldn’t be a problem. And it’s not a dangerous place.

“My gut feeling, though, is that we’ll end up in the Philippines.”

Roach likes the Philippines. He just doesn’t want to train Pacquiao there.

“Wherever I get him, I’ll make sure he’s ready for the fight,” he said. “The thing is, there are a lot of distractions in the Philippines. One weekend, this governor will want to fly him here. The next weekend, another governor will want to fly him there. It’s just a hassle.

“Once I get Manny, though, he listens to me. As long as I’m in front of him. Right now I can’t talk to him on the phone. Unfortunately they’re [Koncz] is blocking my phone calls.”

Roach did talk to Koncz.

“I said, ‘Where are we training?’” he said. “‘I haven’t asked Manny yet,’ he told me. I said, ‘You haven’t asked him? What do you mean? The fight is right around the corner and you haven’t asked him yet.’ He’s scared to ask him where he wants to train.

“Manny will make a decision. I think it’ll be in Baguio, where their Olympic training center is. It’s in the north. I’ve never been there but it doesn’t’ matter. Wherever we go there’ll be distractions.”

The indecision couldn’t have come at a worse time. Roach was asked how tough this fight will be.

“The toughest fight of Manny’s life,” he said. “Cotto is getting ready for this fight. He’s in camp already. He knows a win over Manny Pacquiao erases everything else in the past. That’s why he’s in camp early, getting into shape. This guy beat Shane Mosley, a speed guy. He knows how to nullify speed. Someone told me Cotto’s not fast enough. I said, ‘What do you mean he’s not fast enough? He beat Shane Mosley.’ It was a good, close fight but he won. He knows how to deal with speed.

“He’s taking this very serious. We have to respect that. If I could just get a hold of Manny and tell him Cotto’s in camp already, he’d be there today. Manny won’t let anyone out train him. That’s how he is."

Roach is hoping Manny gets the word somehow.

“That’s why I’m mouthing off a little bit with (reporters),” he said. “Hopefully he’ll read something. This is the real deal. Cotto is better than Oscar De La Hoya, better than Ricky Hatton. He’s the biggest, strongest guy we’ve ever fought.”

Family tragedy: The aggravation stemming from the inability to reach Pacquiao came at a bad time for Roach. His younger brother Joey, only 47, died in his sleep on Saturday.

“I brought him to Shaq’s show [Shaq Vs.],” Roach said. “He met Shaq. He let me drive his Ferrari for the weekend. He was retiring. He had bought a retirement home in Michigan with his wife. He came back [to Las Vegas] from Michigan, him and his wife, went to bed and he’s dead. He was my closest brother.”

Joey Roach was also a boxer. He had around 200 amateur fights and fought 14 times as a pro, going 11-3-3 (3 knockouts). He lost a decision to Olympic gold medalist Paul Gonzales in Gonzales’ second pro fight.

“He told me, ‘The first time I get cut in a fight I’m retiring,’” Roach said. “He got cut against Mauro Diaz (in 1986) and said, ‘That’s it. I’m not going to end up like you.’”

Roach did much better after his boxing career. At the time he died, he owned a telemarketing firm that employed more than 130 people.

“He was very successful,” Roach said. “He was a good talker. He told me, ‘If I had four flat tires, you couldn’t sell me a spare. But I could sell an Eskimo an icebox.”

Source: ringtv.com

Cotto’s right on track

Miguel Cotto is not taking any chances in so far as his preparation for the Nov. 14 super fight with Manny Pacquiao is concerned. Phil Landman, who is Cotto’s conditioning coach, told Fightnews and Manila Bulletin that the Puerto Rican puncher is right on track in training. “We finished the first week well,” Landman wrote in an email. “The work Miguel has done leading in to this training has been and will continue to be very beneficial. In the coming weeks we have a program set forth leading up to our departure to Tampa, focusing on the strength and conditioning side and building on the base Miguel has carried in to this camp.”

Landman, who works side by side with chief trainer Joe Santiago, said the 28-year-old reigning World Boxing Organization welterweight king would still work out a sweat during next week’s press/publicity tour that will bring them and Team Pacquiao to New York, Caguas (Puerto Rico), San Francisco, Los Angeles and possibly San Diego.

“The press tour is coming up and it’s a challenging week with all the traveling, erratic hours and long days. Obviously not that conducive to the training but it is also necessary and part of it and we work around the schedule. We have a program set forth for that week so we try to minimize losing out on any of the preparation,” said Landman, who arrived in the islands nine days ago.

Long before Landman arrived, Cotto had been frequenting the gym and sweating it out.

On Monday, Cotto finally began sparring and the guy who was on the receiving end of his power shots was Puerto Rican welterweight Frankie Santos.

Meanwhile, Landman also revealed that while diet and nutrition play a huge role in training, Cotto’s sustenance do not require the importation of game meat like antelope and other funky stuff that was said to have been tried by Oscar De La Hoya when he was training for Pacquiao last year.

“As far as diet goes there is nothing extravagant that Miguel enjoys or that we make a part of his diet during training. He eats a combination of good balanced meals sticking to the basics, fish, chicken etc as well as a foods common to the Puerto Rican diet. Miguel is an avid cook and over the last couple of years has really come to understand what the benefit of eating well has on his training and recovery,” added Landman.

Source: fightnews.com

Cotto's Main Objective is To Stop Pacquiao's Movement

The main objective for WBO welterweight champion Miguel Cotto is to stop the quick movement of Manny Pacquiao by cutting off the ring. Cotto wants to prevent Pacquiao from jumping in and out with quick combinations during their November 14 bout. Cotto plans to keep the fight as close as possible and not allow Pacquiao to create distance. In his training camp, Cotto is working in a 20 foot and a 24 foot ring, using both to cut the distance. Cotto has been sparring with Frankie Santos.

Cotto is confident that his boxing skills are than those of Pacquiao and says a 20 foot will give him the advantage, not Pacquiao.

"Pacquiao is not a better boxer than Miguel Cotto. So if someone is to benefit from the ring, it is going to be Miguel Cotto," Cotto told El Nuevo Dia.

Since the arrival of physical trainer Phil Landman, Cotto has begun the second phase of his training camp and he is really taking his body to the limit.

"I feel a little bit exhausted, me muscles are sore. But this is normal in the first couple of weeks. We have worked hard as was usual do," Cotto said.

Landman wants Cotto to have the same physical condition [if not better] that he showed in the June decision win over Joshua Clottey.

Source: boxingscene.com

RP training for Pacquiao ruled out

WASHINGTON, D.C.: After considerable indecision on the venue and timing of his training camp, Manny Pacquiao will start training September 15 for his Miguel Cotto super fight, most likely in Toluca, Mexico.

Pacquiao’s trainer Bob Arum of Top Rank Promotions ruled out Pacquiao training in the Philippines because that could upset his preparation for what could be the Filipino’s toughest fight.

Arum told Michael Marley of Examiner.com Monday night that Team Pacquaio has also ruled out the Bahamas and the Mexican resort city of Cancun because they are “too flat.”

Marley surmised that this leaves the Toluca mountains, close to Mexico City, as the likely venue for Pacquiao’s training facility.

Ideal for training

Nestled about 8,750 feet above sea level, Toluca—some 2,000 miles from Los Angeles, California—is known for its cool and humid summer weather which is ideal for boxing training camps.

Pacquiao’s training has always included early morning runs on hilly terrain to build up his endurance and stamina.

Pacquiao’s renowned trainer Freddie Roach earlier said training in the Philippines would be a “mistake because Manny could never focus on training in his country where so many people want a piece of him.”

Roach said he personally preferred either Toluca or Puerto Vallarta in Mexico because of the mild weather and their proximity to California and Las Vegas.

Roach said that Pacquiao will spend the final three weeks of his projected eight-week training camp at Roach’s Wild Card Gym in Hollywood, California for two weeks, and the final week in Las Vegas.

Toluca, the capital of Mexico State is about 65 miles from Mexico City, the federation’s capital. Located in the mountains of Toluca Valley, the place offers pleasant summer weather.

Last week, Roach blew his top last week over Pacquiao’s indecision on the timing and venue of his training camp.

Tough Cotto fight

Roach underscored the need for focused preparation by Pacquiao against Cotto, 28, a big and strong 147- pounder, who has beaten the likes of Shane Mosley, a fast-fisted puncher boxer just like Pacquiao.

“[Cotto] nullified Shane’s speed with his own speed. People tell me he’s slow, but I disagree. He’s a tough, tough fight for us,” Roach told FightHype.com. “I hope that Manny and his crew wake up and smell the coffee and get to work of picking a place so we can go to camp as soon as possible.”

But Arum said he is “not panicking” about Pacquiao’s preparation for the Filipino’s title shot at Cotto’s World Boxing Organization welterweight championship belt, although he admitted time was “really tight” for his prized fighter.

“I know Manny, we spoke this morning. I gave him the bad news [about the death of] Freddie’s younger brother, Joey, and Manny was really shaken up,” Arum said. “He later reached out to Freddie to express his condolences. Manny was totally unaware of it. He’d been shooting a movie or a TV show or something like that.”

Arum said he shared Roach’s concern about setting up training camp in the Philippines because of its too many distractions for the country’s most popular athlete.

Unlike Pacquiao, Cotto started light training as early as the first week of August before embarking on an 11-week training camp in Puerto Rico and winding up in Tampa, Florida.

The venue for training was never an issue in most of the major fights of Pacquiao, who normally trained at Roach’s Wild Card Gym in Hollywood.

But under a regulation of the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Pacquiao stands to pay millions in additional taxes if he holds his entire training camp for the November 14 fight with Cotto on American soil.

Under the IRS Substantial Presence Test, Pacquiao has nearly reached the limit of his maximum allowable stay in the US for non-US residents.

This means that if Pacquiao stays and trains in the US for more than three weeks for the remainder of this year, he would be subject to higher taxes since all his sources of income worldwide would be subject to tax.

Source: manilatimes.net

Arum: Pacquiao will have his usual 8-wk training for Cotto

Manny Pacquiao’s trainer, Bob Arum, is not pressing the panic button despite the fact that the “Pacman" continues with his non-boxing activities while his opponent Miguel Cotto has already commenced training.

In an interview with Examiner.com , the celebrated promoter expressed confidence the 30-year-old Pacquiao will buckle down to serious work at the gym once he wraps up his other commitments, including publicity tour for the Nov. 14 “Firepower" card in Las Vegas.

“No reason to panic, absolutely not," he told Examiner.com’s Michael Marley. “When we’re done with the press/publicity tour in New York, Puerto Rico, San Francisco and LA and then finish in San Diego Sept. 15, Manny is going to camp."

Pacquiao himself had said there’s still plenty of time to get himself into tip-top shape against Cotto, who is set to defend his WBO welterweight title in their highly-anticipated showdown. The fight will also be for the WBC Diamond Belt," a newly-crafted special title for “elite fights."

In an earlier TV interview with GMA News, Pacquiao said he presently weighs 151 lbs and exercises on his own while shooting a movie and TV sitcom.

Arum is aware of the pound-for-pound king’s pre-training conditions and training style.

“Unlike most of these guys, Manny never balloons up in weight. He will have his usual, solid eight weeks," Arum said.

Unlike before when he spends the entirety of his training at the Wild Card gym of trainer Freddie Roach in LA, Pacquiao would have to do his workout outside the US for the first five weeks. This is due to US immigration laws which say he can only spend 183 days in America.

Baguio City, Mexico and Bahamas are reportedly among those considered for the initial stages of his training but the Pacquiao camp has yet to decide on the site.

Source: gmanews.tv

Pacquiao vs. Cotto News

The fight will take place in a 20-foot, and not 24-foot, ring.

Promoter Bob Arum today said that the Pacquiao/Cotto fight would be contested in a 20-foot ring, contradicting a report in Primera Hora yesterday in which Cotto's trainer, Joe Santiago, stated that it would be held in a 24-foot ring. Santiago was under the impression that the ring would be 24-feet square because that is apparently what Pacquiao's team requested in the negotiations. But the Nevada State Athletic Commission adheres to a standard ring size of 20 feet and rarely makes exceptions. Arum claims that he doesn't know where the rumor of a 24-foot ring started, but it's not true. Most observers believe that a larger ring would be to Pacquiao's advantage, allowing him more space to box against a fighter many deem to be much slower than him.

Freddie Roach says the fight will go the distance.

In this interview with David Tyler over at Doghouse Boxing, Freddie Roach predicts that Pac/Cotto will go the distance. "Cotto certainly has his hands full but he has some advantages against us," Freddie says. "By fight time he will be 20 pounds heavier than us. He will be the bigger, stronger fighter who is a very resilient guy. Of course he has started to cut lately and I’m hoping that will be a factor for us. Manny’s speed will bust him up a little bit, I hope. I just believe that Cotto is taking this fight more serious than any fight he has had."

No site yet determined for Pacquiao's training camp.

Because Pacquiao is unable to hold his entire training camp for the Cotto fight in the U.S., other sites are currently being sought by his team, although nothing has been decided yet. Cancun is supposedly high on the list of potential locations. Pacquiao wants to train in the Philippines, but Freddie Roach is against it, feeling that their would be far too many distractions for the native hero. When one considers that the fighter is currently over there shooting an action movie (his eighth action movie, actually), well, you kind of have to think Freddie might right about that. Speculation is rampant on the internet that the confused state of Pac's training plans and that the movie-star distractions may catch up with the mighty Filipino when facing a bigger fighter of Cotto's caliber, but for myself, I seriously doubt it. He's had distractions in his camps for years, and he always shows up on fight night focused and in tip-top shape. I've seen it with my own eyes - the guy has a Jedi-like quality in the midst of chaos.

Anticipation high for press tour kicking off at Yankee Stadium.

The first official presser for the fight will be a gala event, open to the public and held at Yankee Stadium on September 10. It's well-known that members of the Yankees are Pacquiao fans, including Derek Jeter, who likely will be ringside for the Pac/Cotto fight. From New York, the press tour moves to Cotto's hometown of Caguas, Puerto Rico on September 12, and then moves to AT&T Park in San Francisco on September 13 with an open-to-the-public event after a Giants/Dodgers game. The tour concludes with a press-only event in L.A. on September 14.


Source: sportingnews.com

Interview with Freddie Roach: What's up with Manny Pacquiao? Plus thoughts on Cotto, De La Hoya, Tyson and Tons More!

Once again doghouseboxing.com visits the WildCard Gym in Hollywood, California. The assignment? What’s up with Manny Pacquiao? Let’s hear what boxing’s greatest trainer has to say about his star pupil. Why is Freddie Roach not in the International Boxing Hall of Fame?

David Tyler- Freddie, the Ninja is the biggest star in the sport today, maybe even bigger than Oscar or Tyson on a Global Level?

Freddie Roach – At this stage of his career I would tend to agree with that statement. He was always popular in the Philippines and certainly the wins over De La Hoya and Hatton have propelled him into another level, and that level is the Pound for Pound Champion. That title alone has the prestige that the title “Heavyweight Champion of the World” used to carry.

DT – Fred, where is Manny training now?

FR – He’s not in training. He is making his eighth action movie in the Philippines. He is enjoying life.

DT – What?

FR – Well right now I’m having a lot of trouble getting in touch with him. His advisor, Michael Konz, is making all the decisions and he doesn’t want to consult me, he was quoted in the papers as saying that Freddie Roach is only the trainer we don’t need him. So I got a little ticked off about that comment.

DT – Fred, is he one of the two non-Filipinos that was telling everyone that the Hatton/ Pacquiao 24/7 was devoting too much time about you and not the Ninja?

FR – I heard that he making those kinds of statements during the Hatton training camp.

DT – Freddie, is Michael Konz a lawyer?

FR – No, he is not a lawyer, he is a secretary.

DT – What does he know about boxing?

FR – Nothing.

DT – Fred, when someone reaches the very top level in the world of entertainment, there will be many vampires out there looking to suck the money out of them?

FR- Of course, I have seen many fighters, like Mike Tyson lose everything because they place their trust in others who do nothing but kiss their butts all day long.

DT – I would think the Ninja would stick with you and have Filipino advisors?

FR – You would think, wouldn’t you? Michael Konz came to my gym trying to get me to train Ike Ibeabuchi when he gets out of prison and Manny was training that day. I introduced him to Manny so somehow he hooked up with Manny as an advisor. He even told Bob Arum that we don’t need to run things past Freddie Roach, he is merely a trainer. Obviously, I was not pleased when Bob told me that news. Michael Konz is not showing me any respect with talk like that and I believe he is working off his own agenda and not the agenda of Team Pacquiao?

DT – When the Ninja starts training will it still be in the Philippines or another location?

FR – I’m not pleased with him training in the Philippines, there are too many distractions, but that’s what he wants to my understanding, and I believe he is taking this fight too lightly. Mark my words this will be the toughest fight of his life. It’s the people around him like Michael Konz who are telling him this will be an easy fight and not to worry. Instead of names I will say his advisors are telling him that Miguel Cotto is done, he is finished, and that’s pure bullcrap. I have been watching countless hours again and again of Cotto’s past fights. He nullified Shane Mosley’s speed and that’s Manny’s greatest asset also, he has proven he knows how to deal with speed and everyone around Manny is taking the fight way too lightly. So yes, I’m a little pissed off at his advisors.

DT – Fred, I want to be clear about one issue, Manny is making a movie and not training?

FR – At this point yes. I called Michael Konz and asked him if Manny has started conditioning his body for training camp and he said he didn’t know. I then asked Konz if Manny has told him where he will train in the Philippines and he said I haven’t asked him yet and I blew my top because Cotto has been in serious training for a month now. We haven’t even started yet and we have no idea where we are going? It’s absurd.

DT – Freddie, do you feel that these problems could have been avoided if he was at home here at WildCard?

FR – Certainly, this is his home away from home. This is where we get ready for every fight but the immigration laws will not allow us to train here until three weeks before the fight. So if I have to go to the Philippines, I will do my job and get him ready for the fight but I prefer Mexico because it is close and I have had offers from several resorts in Mexico that would be much closer to home and away from the many distractions in the Philippines. In any case we will be ready for the fight and we do have those three weeks to prepare for the fight in this gym.

DT – Do you feel that you will be able to wrestle control of Manny from Team Konz when you get the Ninja in training camp?

FR – Of course, 100% yes! Manny is smart and he will listen to me. This has happened before and we work things out. I just feel that I should have access to my fighter and I’m not getting that when we are thousands of miles apart.

DT – When will you see the Ninja again?

FR – September the 8th because we start the press tours the 9th. We will be in Los Angeles on the 14th.

DT – I have many e-mails from Pacquiao fans and I would like to ask our readers to submit questions for Manny and you and I can sit down with him on the 14th.

FR – No problem.

DT – Thanks. Fred I am concerned with all the distractions that you have talked about during the interview. Will it affect the Ninja in the wrong way?

FR – Once I’m with him and put my foot down we will get down to serious business. I know how to get Manny ready for a fight and Manny has a lot of respect for me. It’s unfortunate that when I try to call Manny in the Philippines they won’t allow me to talk with him. I am the one that can talk some sense into him and that’s what he needs now.

DT – Why is it that every expert in the sport is taking the Ninja by kayo in less than five rounds?

FR – David, you know that I’ve been making a lot of predictions lately, and I will give you one for sure…..this fight will go the distance!

DT – Readers you have it correct, the Wizard of WildCard just predicted that the Pacquiao/ Cotto fight will go the distance.

Fred, that would be why?

FR – Cotto is a bigger more resilient person, he is a true 147 pound fighter, he is very strong, he is a tough guy, and I will say this, sure he didn’t look good in the Margarito fight, but we all know that there were probably other influences in that fight. As for the Clottey fight, who looks good fighting Clottey? Cotto had a bad cut over his eye and took some big shots from Clottey, yet he did not go down and kept slugging away and won the decision. That shows me something, Cotto knows this is his biggest fight from a promotional sense he also knows that he can erase the memory of Margarito with a victory over Manny. He has already started training because he is taking this fight very, very, seriously more than any fight he has ever had. Cotto knows that the future of any fighter is only as good as his last fight. Having said all that don’t get me wrong, we will win this fight, I have studied the tapes and I know how Manny will win. Manny is the top P4P fighter in the world and I will not let him lose that title, it means too much to both of us. I will have him prepared with the great sparring partners that I’m bringing to camp…..

DT – Amir Khan?

FR – Amir Khan yes and Shawn Porter who is a big puncher, he is 10-0 with nine knockouts. Also a couple of other big 147 pound fighters to prepare him for the strength that Cotto brings to a fight. Once I sit down with Manny and explain to him how this will be the toughest fight in his life, he will believe me and all the talk he is hearing from others will go away. Above all else, I have been very honest and truthful with Manny.

DT – Are you telling me that you disagree with the experts that Cotto is damaged goods because of the loss to Margarito and his performance against Clottey?

FR – I think that his confidence was probably down a little after the Margarito fight, the fight before Clottey was just an opponent and I don’t think he trained that hard. I believe that the troubles he had with his trainer and family in his camp for Clottey may have affected his performance. Everything is OK now and he has been in camp a month early which tells me how seriously he is taking this fight. I believe he knows how important the Pacquiao fight is to his career. He is at a point that for him to move forward and put the past behind him, he MUST win this fight. You can capitalize "must" when you write this up. If anyone thinks this will be an easy fight then they are simply fools.

DT – So he will not come into this fight and electrify us like he did when he iced Ricky Hatton?

FR – David, he has had three straight perfect fights, he is obviously at his peak right now. It’s very hard to stay at that level. Cotto certainly has his hands full but he has some advantages against us. By fight time he will be 20 pounds heavier than us. He will be the bigger, stronger fighter who is a very resilient guy. Of course he has started to cut lately and I’m hoping that will be a factor for us. Manny’s speed will bust him up a little bit, I hope. I just believe that Cotto is taking this fight more serious than any fight he has had. He knows the importance of looking good in the fight and he will not go down easy like some of Manny’s previous opponents. He will be at the top of his physical and mental game. Hell, he would love to walk around and people tell him you’re the guy that beat Manny Pacquiao when he was the best in the world. All memories of Margarito will be forgotten.

DT – Do you have a phone number for his trainer?

FR – Sure, I will call you with his number this evening.

DT – I have noticed hundreds of Pinoys in the parking lot that have traveled many miles to get a peek at the ninja. What happen to the good ole days when it was an open camp?

FR – David, here’s the way it is, when I would open the gym to the public and everything was going great, there were no problems. After the Morales loss, everyone said it was my fault for having an open gym and I started thinking that maybe I made a mistake and you must learn from your mistakes. I had thought that by allowing his fans in the gym that he would perform extra hard to impress them all, it wasn’t that way, he would get playful while sparring and show off for the audience. The closed sessions are best for his career.

DT – If I don’t go to the PI with you can I still ask you questions by e-mail?

FR – Certainly. I would also like to say on behalf of my Mother and Brothers that we appreciate all the calls, e-mails, and letters of condolence over the loss of my Brother Joey. This means a lot to my Mother and I appreciate the sympathy and prayers from all my friends.

DT – You got it. I will see you again when the press tour stops in Los Angeles. Can we then sit down with Manny and go over the readers questions?

FR – No Problem, anything, anytime. You’re always welcome.

DT – Thanks for those kind words.

Source: doghouseboxing.com