| Freddie Roach | |
|---|---|
Freddie Roach in December 2008 |
|
| Statistics | |
| Real name | Frederick Roach |
| Nickname(s) | Master Roach[1][2] La Cucaracha[3] The Choir Boy[4] |
| Rated at | Lightweight |
| Nationality | American |
| Born | March 5, 1960 Dedham, Massachusetts |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 53 |
| Wins | 40 |
| Wins by KO | 15 |
| Losses | 13 |
| Draws | 0 |
| No contests | 0 |
See Freddie Roach (organist) for the jazz organist.
Frederick Steven "Freddie" Roach (born on March 5, 1960) is an American boxing trainer and a former professional boxer. Roach is of Irish, Canadian and French descent. Roach is one of the most well-known boxing trainers in the world, having been voted Trainer of the Year by the Boxing Writers Association of America in 2003, 2006, 2008, 2009 and 2010. He is currently the boxing coach of UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre as well as trainer of eight-division world champion Manny Pacquiao and also former World Champion Amir Khan, top prospects Jose Benavidez,[5] Peter Quillin[6] and Julio César Chávez, Jr.. Roach was also the trainer of former two-times world champion and arguably one of the best women boxers Lucia Rijker.[7]
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Roach was trained by Tariq Nasiri at a young age along with his brothers Pepper and Joey. As a teenager, he was a dominant force in the New England amateur and AAU ranks. Roach turned pro in 1978, fighting as a lightweight and won his first 10 bouts. Roach trained under legendary trainer Eddie Futch and went 26–1 before appearing in a historic match at the Boston Garden on June 11, 1982.
The card that night was the first of two times that the three Fighting Roach Brothers appeared at the same time.
Brothers Joey and Pepper won their undercard bouts but in the main event, Freddie lost a unanimous decision to Beto Nunez. Freddie would rebound and go on to contend twice for the world championship.
Late in his career, Roach, who was known for being able to take on a barrage of punches, began showing early signs of Parkinson's disease. Futch asked Roach to retire but the boxer refused and continued to fight with his father as his trainer. He went on to lose five of his last six fights before retiring at age 26. His best payday was $7,500.
| 40 Wins (15 knockouts, 25 decisions), 13 Losses (3 knockouts, 10 decisions), 0 Draws[8] | |||||||
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Type | Rd., Time | Date | Location | Notes |
| Loss | 40–13 | David Rivello | MD | 10 | 1986-10-24 | Lowell Auditorium, Lowell, Massachusetts, United States | |
| Win | 40–12 | Arnel Arrozal | RTD | 5 (10) | 1986-08-14 | Edmonds Community College, Lynnwood, Washington, United States | |
| Loss | 39-12 | Andy Nance | KO | 10 (10) | 1986-04-17 | San Rafael, California, United States | |
| Loss | 39-11 | Darryl Tyson | UD | 12 | 1986-03-01 | Convention Center, Washington, District of Columbia, United States | WBC Continental Americas Lightweight title on the line. |
| Loss | 39-10 | Hector Camacho | UD | 10 | 1985-12-18 | Arco Arena, Sacramento, California, United States | |
| Loss | 39-9 | Greg Haugen | TKO | 7 (10) | 1985-08-22 | Showboat Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 39-8 | Joey Olivera | UD | 8 | 1985-06-30 | Tropicana Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 38–8 | Martin Morado | TKO | 8 (10) | 1985-05-23 | Marriott Hotel, Irvine, California, United States | |
| Win | 37-8 | Jaime Balboa | UD | 10 | 1985-04-09 | Sacramento, California, United States | |
| Loss | 36-8 | Bobby Chacon | MD | 10 | 1985-03-05 | Memorial Auditorium, Sacramento, California, United States | |
| Loss | 36-7 | Efrain Nieves | UD | 10 | 1984-12-20 | Showboat Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 36–6 | Richie Foster | TKO | 8 (10) | 1984-10-11 | Showboat Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 35–6 | Joe Ruelaz | TKO | 4 (10) | 1984-08-09 | Showboat Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Loss | 34-6 | Tommy Cordova | SD | 12 | 1984-06-12 | Showboat Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | ESPN Super Featherweight Title on the line. |
| Win | 34–5 | Efrain Nieves | TD | 8 (?) | 1984-04-12 | Portland, Oregon, United States | |
After his retirement from fighting, Roach worked in a variety of jobs around Las Vegas including telemarketing and a busboy before taking a job with his former trainer and mentor Eddie Futch as an unpaid assistant in 1986.[9] He would instantly excel in his new position and worked as Futch's assistant for five years.
In 1991, Mickey Rourke, turned to boxing mid-way through his acting career, and hired Roach to train him in Hollywood, California. In 1995, when Rourke decided to quit boxing, he gave gym equipment to Roach, and it can be found in the Wildcard to this day.
Roach owns the Wild Card Boxing Club/Gym in Los Angeles and works alongside his brother Pepper.[10] He is currently one of the most popular trainers in boxing. Roach's prized ward is eight-division world champion Manny Pacquiao. Roach also once trained Oscar De La Hoya for his May 5, 2007 superfight against Floyd Mayweather, Jr.. His first world champion was Virgil Hill, whom he took over from his own former trainer, Eddie Futch. He is also the current trainer for British boxer Amir Khan, who became the WBA light welterweight World Champion on July 18, 2009, under Roach's tutelage. Roach has trained 27 world champions to date.
In the world of mixed martial arts (MMA), Roach has trained former UFC Heavyweight Champion Andrei Arlovski and was one of his primary trainers for Arlovski's victory over Ben Rothwell on July 19 at Affliction's inaugural show.[11] He has also trained MMA fighter Dan Hardy for his fight with Marcus Davis at UFC 99 as well as MMA greats, Tito Ortiz, Anderson Silva, and BJ Penn. In May 2010, he began a training engagement with Georges St. Pierre in advance preparation for the fighter's successful UFC welterweight title defense against Josh Koscheck at UFC 124.[12] Roach has also trained many other prominent mixed martial artists, such as: pro boxer and kickboxer, and former EliteXC Lightweight Champion, K.J. Noons,[13] Roger Huerta,[14] and Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou.[15] In March 2010, Roach expressed interest in wanting to train former Pride FC and WAMMA Heavyweight champion, Fedor Emelianenko.[16]
Roach suffers from Parkinson's disease.[17][18] As chronicled in the HBO series Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel, he is able to actively control the disease through medication, injections and his training of boxers. Roach's doctors feel that his active in-ring training routines with his fighters and tremendous hand-eye coordination that he has to exhibit has made it possible to slow the progress of the disease.
| † | Former World Champions |
| * | Current World Champions |
Correct as of 01 August 2011.
| Name | Occupation | Reason for | Duration | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shaquille O'Neal | Former NBA player | Shaq Vs. | 2 Episodes | Helped train Shaq for both Oscar De La Hoya and Shane Mosley[22] |
| Mark Wahlberg | Actor | The Fighter | - | Helped train him for his role in the movie[23] |