Roach: If Mayweather doesn’t want to fight Manny under the commissions’, sanctioning body’ rules, then he can go fight some girl

Boxing News World

Outspoken Hall of Fame-bound boxing trainer Freddie Roach recently talked to Leave It In The Ring Radio about Joshua Clottey and his favorite pupil’s preparation for “The Event”. He also didn't hold back his thoughts on Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Paulie Malignaggi.

Here are some highlights:

On Pacquiao’s condition:
"He’s on fire right now and ready to go."

On why Clottey was chosen as Manny’s opponent:
“Since the Mayweather fight didn’t happen, there was really nowhere else for us to go. We had to pick the best guy available and Clottey is that guy.”

On Clottey:
"The thing is… I have a lot of confidence in my fighter of course, but I know he is a very difficult guy. I respect him as a fighter. I respect him as a human being. He’s a gentleman. He knows how to fight, but I just have a lot of confidence in Manny. We have a really really good game plan for Clottey. The thing is we just have to pull the game plan off. And I think we can make it look a lot easier than it is. Of course he is a tough guy and we do have to respect his power and size."

On Manny’s possible retirement after Clottey fight if Pacquio vs Mayweather-Mosley winner can not be made:
"We have talked about that because I don’t want Manny to stay in the game too long. I don’t want him to be one of those guys who was fighting beyond their best years…. This could be our last fight."

On Floyd Mayweather Jr:
"He (Manny) wants Mayweather next so badly. The thing is (they) both need to win their fights of course. We’re not going to give Mayweather any edge at all though. He wants this Olympic style drug testing, all these (rubbish). We’re not going to give him nothing because if you give him something, he becomes bigger than the commission, bigger than the sport. It’s like giving the first two rounds away, giving him confidence, and so forth. We’ll go by the Nevada commission rules, by the sanctioning body rules…If he doesn’t want to fight us at those rules, then he can go fight some girl."

On Amir Khan’s next opponent:
"The thing about (Marcos) Maidana is nobody knows him yet. He's starting to get a little recognition because of Ortiz of course, but the thing is he's a really, really tough fight. So I don't want to fight that guy for nothing, for free…I wanted (Juan Manuel) Marquez so badly for his next fight for his American debut, because matchmaking is timing and I think it's the right time. I know it's not an easy fight, but I think it's one we can win. Nacho (Beristain) decided not to fight us, so Paulie Malignaggi was the next guy out there. I don't think we really want to fight Paulie though because he's such an (butthole). I used to respect this guy and like him, but he opens his mouth and says Amir is on steroids now because he trains with Freddie Roach. I might smack him when I see him… I'm pissed off about that with him. I feel like pulling Amir out of the fight and telling him go get a payday somewhere else because there's no payday here. You've knocked out five guys in your career; (they) must've been five girls. If Amir doesn't knock him out, I'll be very disappointed."

To hear the interview in its entirety, visit leave-it-in-the-ring.com.

- Marshall N. B., marx7204@lycos.com

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JEAN CLAUDE VAN DAMME PAYS RESPECTS TO PACQUIAO -- PhilBoxing

By Ed de la Vega, PhilBoxing.com

Feb 11, 2010, LOS ANGELES -- Just before Manny Pacquiao started his afternoon training today a little after 3 PM, we spotted Claude Van Damme walked in to the Wildcard Gym to pay his respects to Pacquiao and visit for a while. Van Damme was escorted to the ringside and introduced to Freddie Roach and Pacquiao by security chief, Rob Peters.

Van Damme is the famous Belgian martial arts artist best known in Hollywood and world over for his martial arts action movies.

His most successful films include Bloodsport in 1988, the Universal Soldier in 1992, Hard Target in 1993 and Timecop in 1994. Van Damme who is a former “Mr. Belgium” is also better known as the “Muscles from Belgium”.

Pacquiao invited Van Damme to Texas to see his fight with Joshua Clottey adding to the array of celebrities that will be flying or driving to Arlington ,Texas to see Pacquiao defend his WBO Welterweight Title against the fame slugger from Ghana, Africa.

Source: philboxing.com

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Pacquiao's trainer wins jury verdict -- Los Angeles Wave

Los Angeles Wave

A Los Angeles jury Friday rejected a claim by a former member of boxer Manny Pacquiao’s entourage that the fighter’s trainer, Freddie Roach, assaulted and battered him at the Wild Card Gym in Hollywood in 2008 to get him to leave prior to the boxer’s sparring session.

The jury deliberated for part of Thursday afternoon and Friday morning before finding in favor of Roach and rejecting claims brought by Gregorio Asuncion and his wife, Allyson.

Roach denied Asuncion’s assertion that he punched him twice outside the locker room on Oct. 20, 2008, saying he put his hands on the man’s shoulders and only squeezed in order to keep his balance when he felt Asuncion leaning back.

Roach, 49, arrived in shorts and a sweat shirt just as the verdict was being read. He leaned back and looked upward in apparent relief as his lawyer, Arthur J. Chapman, told him the news.

Outside the courtroom, Roach personally thanked jurors, took a photo with at least one of them and offered them all tickets to Pacquiao’s next fight against Joshua Clottey in Arlington, Texas, on March 13.

Roach said he was relieved with the verdict.

“I didn’t get much sleep last night, but when I heard there was a verdict after such a short time I believed it was in my favor,” Roach said. “I’m not a bad person. I simply asked this man to leave and he didn’t. I don’t go around hitting people and if he wants to come back to the gym some time he can.”

In his testimony Wednesday, Roach told jurors he initially put his hands on Asuncion’s shoulders in a friendly way of telling him that he and others in the gym needed to leave so Pacquiao could spar in private. He said he only squeezed due to Asuncion’s subsequent reaction.

“He bucked back and he caused me to hold on so I didn’t fall down,” Roach said.

Roach said there was nothing hostile about his actions and that Asuncion — who he referred to in his testimony as “Sheriff” because the plaintiff is an X-ray technician for the Sheriff’s Department — never gave him any trouble when he asked him on previous occasions to leave the gym during sparring.

Roach testified he sometimes lets the crowds watch Pacquiao train if he feels his fighter needs the motivation from the gathering, but will excuse them during sparring so the boxer can focus on what he is being instructed.

Asuncion, 52, testified Tuesday that he was punched twice and hit so hard by the boxer’s trainer that he could not stay on his feet. He also said he suffered neck and shoulder pain and had to be hospitalized. He said the incident occurred after he went to ask Pacquiao if he could stay to watch him spar despite Roach’s order.

But Belinda Garcia, one of the jurors who was part of the 10-2 majority that favored exonerating Roach, said she was not convinced Asuncion’s injuries were anything other than mild.

The Asuncion couple sued Roach and his Hollywood gym in November 2008.

The suit’s allegations included assault, battery, intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress, negligence and premises liability. Allyson Asuncion asserted loss of consortium.

Source: wavenewspapers.com