Roach Following Yellow Brick Road
And Burning His Bridges Behind Him

Written By William Trillo & Nat Gottlieb


When Oscar De La Hoya announced that Freddie Roach was going to be his man in the corner on May 5th against Floyd Mayweather Jr., it didn’t come as a great surprise, at least to fans. The real surprise was to Roach's own fighters, whom he was going to abandon at a time when they had big fights coming up. The fallout has been big ever since. 

Roach became the top man on Oscar's list because of the champions he was directing. Names like Manny Pacquiao, Brian Viloria, Robert Guerrero, Peter Manfredo and Israel Vazquez all have called on Freddie to get them to the next level. But Roach has apparently turned his back on his bread and butter fighters -- who have earned him nice pay days --because of the million dollar plus offer he got from Oscar and the glory he might be part of.

When Roach got the call it was made pretty clear that he was going to become exclusive to Oscar, and his other fighters would have to rely on Freddie's right hand man, Justine Fortune. This decision is not sitting well with most of Roach's pupils and already there is dissention and defection in the Wild Card Camp.

Robert Guerrero, who has a Championship fight in a few days is gone, going back to his Father instead of hoping Freddie can somehow get out off his press tour to make a ringside appearance. Brian Viloria, who has a very important Championship fight on April 14th opted out and now is under the tutelage of Joe Goossen. If anyone needed a stabilizing force in his corner it is Brian, who has just come off two very troubled fights and has this chance to redeem himself in April. His mainstay Freddie won't be there. Coincidentally on the same night and in the same building Manny Pacquiao is putting it all on the line once again -- without Roach. Who would have ever guessed that Roach would turn his back on Manny. Yet, sources close to the Pacquiao camp have told us with 100% certainty that Freddie won't be there to keep Manny in check.

It doesn't get any better for Manfredo, who will have to travel to Wales to take on undefeated Champion Joe Calzghe on his home turf. In what is surely the toughest and most meaningful fight of this true contender's life, Roach will once again be missing in action.

It's no big secret that Oscar expects complete allegiance to him and only him from his trainers while he readies for his fights. Just ask Panchito Bojado who was with Floyd Mayweather Sr. when Oscar employed Pretty Boy's Daddy and The Golden Boy was not willing to share him with anyone. Bojado even requested to come to Oscar's camp so he could keep working with Floyd...he was denied. Bojado went on to work with Buddy McGirt and that was the last we ever heard of Panchito.

What really is stunning is that De La Hoya's insistence on exclusivity will come at the expense of a fighter who is promoted by Oscar's own company, Golden Boy Promotions -- Super Bantamweight Champion Israel Vazquez. On March 3rd Israel will be in the fight of his life as Bantamweight champ  Rafael Marquez will be moving up to go to war with his Mexican countryman.

And where will Israel's trainer Roach be? He has been ordered to fly to Puerto Rico just 2 days prior to the fight and will not be by Israel's side when it appears this could very well be the fight of Vasquez's career. In fact, while the days are winding down and Vazquez is getting in his fine tuning work in the gym, Freddie has been absent, busy on the whirlwind promotion tour with Oscar, watching Floyd Jr. show every city his chiseled abs and making a fool of himself at every stop.

Why wasn't Freddie able to stay with Israel for this one? If there was a time that Roach should have put his foot down and demanded to be there in the corner for his fighter, this was the time. Considering Vazquez is a Golden Boy fighter it just makes common sense. But Roach apparently didn't have the cajones.

Vazquez manager Frank Espinosa said on a teleconference Thursday that he has not been told one way or the other if Freddie is going to be working with Israel on March 3rd. The odds don't appear to be in his favor.

Last week at the somewhat late press conference for the Vazquez/Marquez battle Golden Boy's CEO Richard Schaefer stated that Israel would always have a special place in the hearts of Golden Boy, as he was their first fighter to claim a World title. Apparently that special place takes a back seat when Oscar is concerned.

What is not taking a special place in anyone's heart is Roach's sudden abandonment of every fighter in his stable for the almighty Golden Boy dollar.

We spoke to Viloria's manager Gary Gittlesohn yesterday and he, like everyone else half-heartedly "understands" why Freddie took Oscar's offer. Who would turn down that kind of money? Who? How about a trainer who is loyal to his own fighters. Duh?

Gittlesohn rightly questioned Roach's long term commitment to his fighter and wisely made his decision to take Viloria and move him to Joe Goossen's camp. It doesn't sound like neither he nor Brian will be going back to Freddie when he returns.

One has to wonder if any of Roach's pupils will return after the De La Hoya dust settles.

Roach has made a decision that makes dollars, but in the long term, does it really make sense?

More importantly who can recall in the history of boxing when a trainer, with several elite fighters facing big bouts, turned his back on them to take on a new client for big bucks. It stinks. And Roach should be ashamed.