Pacquiao is back and trainer Freddie Roach still by his side 24 years later
They'll be together once again in quest to beat Barrios for WBC welterweight title
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LAS VEGAS — Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach and Manny Pacquiao, also a Hall of Famer and his greatest pupil, have been together for 24 years, all of his numerous mega fights, and for seven of Pacquiao’s world titles in a record eight weight classes.
They first met when Pacquiao, then a former flyweight champion was on vacation in California from the Philippines, but also looking for a new trainer, and went to Roach’s Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood on the suggestion from a friend who said he should check it out.
Roach held the mitts for Pacquiao that day and they immediately clicked. A few weeks later Roach led late replacement Pacquiao, on two weeks’ notice, into a fight with IBF junior featherweight titlist Lehlo Ledwaba. Pacquiao destroyed him in the sixth round of a one-sided thrashing at the MGM Grand. That was in 2001 and, 24 years later, Pacquiao and Roach are still together in one of the most successful fighter-trainer teams in boxing history.
But they had not seen each other since Pacquiao suffered a decision loss to then-WBA welterweight titleholder Yordenis Ugas in August 2021 and returned to the Philippines to continue his political career there.
But Pacquiao, who had served in the Philippines’ House of Representatives and later in the Senate, lost the last election for the Filipino presidency and later lost again in an effort to win another senate term. Pacquiao was now free to resume his boxing career, which always said he was interested in doing.
He will do just that when, at age 46, he comes out of retirement to challenge Mario Barrios for his WBC welterweight title in the headliner of the Premier Boxing Champions card on Saturday (Prime Video PPV, PPV.COM, 8 p.m. ET, $79.99) at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, where Pacquiao will fight for the 16th time.
And like has been the case for all of them, Roach will man his corner once again, having reunited like no time had gone by when Pacquiao returned to the Wild Card to open training camp in May.
