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By Jun Medina, Special Correspondent
CELEBRATED boxing trainer Freddie Roach, who has trained 17 world
champions in a career spanning more than 20 years, thinks Manny
“Pacman” Pacquiao’s tenacity in training and endurance fits
into his idea of the perfect boxer.
Roach started training Pacquiao in 2001 and
guided the Filipino icon to three of his four world titles and into
his current position as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the
world.
Among Roach’s other famous ring students
include, knockout artist Mike Tyson, the youngest world heavyweight
champion; James Toney, winner of world titles at middleweight, super
middleweight and cruiserweight; and, Virgil Hill, US Olympic silver
medalist in 1984 and five-time world champion at cruiserweight and
light heavyweight.
Roach told Michael Rosenthal of the Los Angeles
Daily News that if he could build the perfect fighter from among
those he has trained that boxer would have:
* Boxing ability of Toney
* Punching power of Tyson.
* Jab of Virgil Hill.
* Defensive skills of Marlon Starling, an American two-time world
welterweight champion.
* Chin of Steve Collins, a rugged middleweight and super
middleweight champion from Ireland.
* Work ethics of Pacquiao and Hill.
* Durability of Pacquaio.
“Manny’s the most disciplined boxer I’ve had,” Roach said in
a recent interview. “He trains like mad and pushes himself to the
limit. He’s just amazing.”
Roach said that although Pacquiao is one of his
favorite students, he is not the best in terms of boxing talents.
The three-time trainer of the year, said the
most naturally gifted fighter ever to train under him was Toney, a
former world champion in three weight classes who never had a work
ethic to match his God-given abilities.
“Toney is the most natural fighter I’ve ever
seen,” said Roach, who owns the famous Wild Card Gym in Hollywood.
“When he says, ‘All you mother—have to train but I was born to
fight,’ he meant it. The way he moved, the vision he had, to see
everything coming at him, he was just so gifted.
“He’s getting older now and getting hit more
than ever. At his peak, though, he’d sit on the ropes and make you
miss 100 punches and come back with counter shots. It was something
to watch.”
Roach said that he is saddened by the fact Toney
just didn’t want to train well and thus had to battle weight
problems often.
“He had no discipline,” Roach said. “If he
had discipline, he could’ve been heavyweight champion of the world
and dominated the division. It just didn’t turn out that way.
I’m not sure why he didn’t get in shape and stay healthy. I
guess some guys with that kind of talent just take it for granted.
The 40-year-oldToney still fights. He is
scheduled to face Tony Thompson in a heavyweight bout on December 12
in Cabazon, California.
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