Freddie Roach: The “La Cucharacha” Kingmaker

March 22nd, 2009

During the hand wrapping of Delahoya, during the Pac-DLH fight, I saw a man in the background looking at the procedure very intently. Like a father overlooking his kid’s safety, nothing would have gone pass this man that night. Like a lion looking at his prey, he was ready to pounce at the slightest sight of anomaly. He was visibly shaking, but his presence was more stable and was strongly felt more than anyone in that room.

With all the stories behind today’s much-celebrated boxing king, I think Freddie Roach’s has got to be biggest and equally inspiring. How can you not admire this man? Parkinson’s did not stop him from doing what he loves best, but it instead catapulted him on top of the boxing profession--- the most brutal of sports, both physically and mentally. I do think that Pacquiao is a continuing thread of a great boxing career that started in Massachusets, Freddie’s own career. I have absolutely no doubt that this thread will continue on towards a career that can arguably be considered one of the “greatest trainer” of this boxing era.

Parkinson’s is a very hard condition to have and Roach’s story needs to be told. It needs to be told to every man who is facing big adversities. It needs to be heard by people afflicted with similar conditions.. If needs to be seen by men who is disheartened by life and what it has to offer sometimes. It is so easy to get into a rut when your health starts to fail you, but here is a man who achieved despite of it.

But if you think about it, we don’t even have to tell this story. Every knock out from his kid, every win from his fighters, every championship belt and every pound for pound king that he sculpted on top is a statement. It is a knock out blow to quitting, a knock out giving up. Every boxing match that he is involved in is a living, breathing light that when life hands you a bad deck of cards, when your body starts to fail you, all you have to do is keep on. You just have to fight back.

This is one story in boxing today that will put more attention to our sports. As boxing fans, we all know that this sport is not just about winning or losing. It is not just about working hard and getting title belts. It is more importantly about the fight in every man. Roach certainly passes on his fight to every boxer he works with. Inside the ring, win or lose, every round is a battle won and every fight finished is victory enough. And Roach’s fight and success inside and outside the ring is a victory for the human spirit.

The Erik Morales and David Diaz knock down, the Dela Hoya knock out, the 4 Marquez roll–overs in the canvas, the Barrera annihilation by the Pacific storm and more recently by the King Kahn, these are all shaped by a man with a shaking hands.

And this story will continue and the fight will go on for the “La Cucharacha” Kingmaker.