Freddie Roach has played a crucial role in the development of some of boxing’s greatest ever fighters, including Filipino icon Manny Pacquiao.
Before Roach began his career as a trainer, the 65-year-old from Massachusetts fought as a professional from 1978 to 1986, racking up 40 victories along the way.
Under the guidance of his mentor and former trainer Eddie Futch, Roach began working as an unpaid gym assistant back in 1986 and undertook this role for half a decade.
He eventually established the Wild Card Boxing Gym in Los Angeles and has trained no less than 40 world champions during his tenure, playing a key role in the career of eight-division world champion Pacquiao after the pair linked up in 2002.
Despite working with ‘Pac-Man’ for the majority of the 46-year-old’s glittering professional career, Roach once revealed in an interview with Fight Hub TV that James Toney was actually a more gifted fighter than Pacquiao, as he claims the three-division world champion was a ‘natural’.
“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.”
Known for his toughness, Toney won world titles at middleweight, super-middleweight and cruiserweight during his career, which spanned between 1988 and 2017.
‘Lights Out’ shared the ring with a number of generational greats during his storied tenure, including the likes of Roy Jones Jr, Evander Holyfield and Mike McCallum.
