The fighter-trainer partnership between Manny Pacquiao and Freddie Roach is widely considered to be one of the most iconic in boxing history.
Roach and Filipino icon Pacquiao linked up for the very first time back in 2002 and would go on to work alongside each other for 16 years before they split back in 2018 after a successful 34-fight run. The pair reunited this year for Pacquiao’s comeback title fight against Mario Barrios, which ended in a majority draw.
Working out of the world famous Wildcard Boxing Gym in Los Angeles, California, Roach guided Pacquiao through the prime of his career where he racked up a number of legacy defining victories over the likes of Juan Manuel Marquez, Shane Mosley, Timothy Bradley and Oscar De La Hoya to name a few.
Despite the incredible moments that they shared, Roach once revealed in an interview with Fight Hub TV that whilst he ‘learned a lot’ from Pacquiao, there was just one man that had more talent than the Filipino superstar – James Toney.
“Well, Pacquiao I learned a lot from, he’s made me a better trainer because he can do things that not everybody can do. But the most talented, gifted athlete I’ve ever trained is James Toney. He had something you couldn’t teach. He was just a natural.”
Considered to be one of the greatest defensive boxers of all time, Toney captured world titles across three weight classes throughout the course of his 29-year professional career which started in 1988 and ended in 2017.
Whilst he began his career campaigning at middleweight, he would go on to challenge for the world heavyweight championship on two occasions before his career came to an end, winning it but later being stripped due to a failed doping test.
