Latest news with #WildCardBoxingClub
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Commentary: Thirty years ago Freddie Roach didn't take sage advice, opened Wild Card Boxing Club
Next week, and for years to follow, people driving in the area of Hollywood and Vine will pass a corner shopping center with a sign that says: 'Freddie Roach Square.' That will probably trigger a common reaction. Who's Freddie Roach? For those who see no sweet science in the sport of boxing, nor have ever considered a ring to be something other than that which you put on a finger, we will tell you. Advertisement Roach is a boxing trainer. He is famous for making other people famous. The new sign will go up in a ceremony Sunday between 1-3 p.m. in the parking lot of his gymnasium. The gym is called Wild Card Boxing Club. It is the 30th anniversary of its existence. To the boxing world, it is a cathedral. It is where Manny Pacquiao trained to become rich and famous. It is where movie stars such as Mark Wahlberg and Mickey Rourke come to get in shape for action movies. It is where Oscar De La Hoya trained for a fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr., then lost, but was so emboldened by Roach's training technique that he told Roach he would never fight another fight without him. Two days later, De La Hoya fired him. There were days when the hot and sweaty place was shared by nuns and former felons. The Wild Card is mind-numbing showcase of boxing photos, sweat, noise and hangers-on. It became so crowded that Roach, in the midst of Pacquiao's long run of success, acquired the property downstairs as an additional gym, and for Manny only. Worked like a charm. There, his star pupil could train with the comparative reduction in decibels down to a 747 on takeoff. Eventually, the boxing media learned lip-reading to do interviews. Overall, the downstairs Wild Card has been a success. The former felon count is down. Trainer Freddie Roach, right, and promoter Bob Arum, left, flank welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao after he defeated Miguel Cotto in 2009. (Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press) Wild Card was where a young, invincible and feared heavyweight star Mike Tyson came to work for a fight and was doing mitts with Roach. 'Doing mitts' consists of the trainer deflecting or accepting a series of hard punches from his trainee. The punches are designed to come in a pattern, so the trainer can anticipate them and not get hit. Advertisement One day in the Wild Card, Tyson missed the pattern and nailed Roach on the jaw. Roach's knees buckled, but he didn't go down. Somebody got a video of the moment, and an infuriated Tyson later demanded that the video never be shown. His image was at stake. By then, Roach was long retired from a career that left him with signs of Parkinson's and he weighed around 150 pounds. But Tyson couldn't take him down with one of his best shots. Roach's explanation? 'I had a good chin.' Roach is 65. He grew up in a rough part of Boston, where job choices for boys heading into manhood came down to, for many, bank robbing or boxing. Roach chose the more legal one, but not necessarily the smartest. He had 53 fights, started out 26-1, stopped with a record of 40-13, and says that he was fine until those last six or seven. Advertisement One of his trainers was the legendary Eddie Futch, who between lessons in jabbing and ducking told Roach that his best piece of lifetime advice was to 'never open your own gym.' So, at age 35, Roach did just that. He asked a bunch of friends to write down possible names for the new gym, saying that in the process he would certainly find a good wild card. Then he named it that. Opening a gym, despite Futch's warning, was more a career reality than anything else. Roach was a boxer. He knew boxing. Not a whole lot else. He tried telemarketing for a while in Las Vegas. 'We just got on the phone and lied our ass off,' he says. He tried tree trimming, but the life of an arborist did not suit him, either. They were men in trees and Roach did not want to be one of them. 'I saw a guy lose control of his chain saw and slash his chest,' Roach says, apparently not comparing that to the damage done by a shot to the chin from Mike Tyson. Advertisement Over the years, 42 fighters have prepared in Wild Card Gym and gone on to win world titles. Roach, the guy helping them prepare, has been named boxing trainer of the year seven times and was inducted into Boxing's Hall of Fame in Canastota, N.Y., in 2012. The most famous of those 42, of course, is Pacquiao, who walked into the Wild Card one day, asked to 'do mitts' with Roach, and went on to win an unprecedented eight division titles. There may be more. Pacquiao recently lost his re-election bid for his Philippines senate seat and is rumored to be looking for a summer Las Vegas fight. This, of course, is after he retired and is being inducted in the boxing Hall of Fame in June. Go figure. Boxing champion Manny Pacquiao works out with trainer Freddie Roach in front of reporters and photographers at the Wild Card Boxing Club in 2016. (Nick Ut / Associated Press) And, lo and behold, Roach is not ruling out training Pacquiao for this next one, if it happens. Advertisement 'If he does this fight,' Roach says, 'I hope I'm in his corner.' If not, Roach is a happy man. His gym will be honored with the ceremony Sunday. And alongside him will be his longtime companion, Marie Spivey, whom he married two years ago. What a wedding it was. They did it in the Wild Card. Freddie was in the blue corner and Marie in the white. Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Thirty years ago Freddie Roach didn't take sage advice, opened Wild Card Boxing Club
Next week, and for years to follow, people driving in the area of Hollywood and Vine will pass a corner shopping center with a sign that says: 'Freddie Roach Square.' That will probably trigger a common reaction. Who's Freddie Roach? For those who see no sweet science in the sport of boxing, nor have ever considered a ring to be something other than that which you put on a finger, we will tell you. Roach is a boxing trainer. He is famous for making other people famous. The new sign will go up in a ceremony Sunday between 1-3 p.m. in the parking lot of his gymnasium. The gym is called Wild Card Boxing Club. It is the 30th anniversary of its existence. To the boxing world, it is a cathedral. It is where Manny Pacquiao trained to become rich and famous. It is where movie stars such as Mark Wahlberg and Mickey Rourke come to get in shape for action movies. It is where Oscar De La Hoya trained for a fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr., then lost, but was so emboldened by Roach's training technique that he told Roach he would never fight another fight without him. Two days later, De La Hoya fired him. There were days when the hot and sweaty place was shared by nuns and former felons. The Wild Card is mind-numbing showcase of boxing photos, sweat, noise and hangers-on. It became so crowded that Roach, in the midst of Pacquiao's long run of success, acquired the property downstairs as an additional gym, and for Manny only. Worked like a charm. There, his star pupil could train with the comparative reduction in decibels down to a 747 on takeoff. Eventually, the boxing media learned lip-reading to do interviews. Overall, the downstairs Wild Card has been a success. The former felon count is down. Wild Card was where a young, invincible and feared heavyweight star Mike Tyson came to work for a fight and was doing mitts with Roach. 'Doing mitts' consists of the trainer deflecting or accepting a series of hard punches from his trainee. The punches are designed to come in a pattern, so the trainer can anticipate them and not get hit. One day in the Wild Card, Tyson missed the pattern and nailed Roach on the jaw. Roach's knees buckled, but he didn't go down. Somebody got a video of the moment, and an infuriated Tyson later demanded that the video never be shown. His image was at stake. By then, Roach was long retired from a career that left him with signs of Parkinson's and he weighed around 150 pounds. But Tyson couldn't take him down with one of his best shots. Roach's explanation? 'I had a good chin.' Roach is 65. He grew up in a rough part of Boston, where job choices for boys heading into manhood came down to, for many, bank robbing or boxing. Roach chose the more legal one, but not necessarily the smartest. He had 53 fights, started out 26-1, stopped with a record of 40-13, and says that he was fine until those last six or seven. One of his trainers was the legendary Eddie Futch, who between lessons in jabbing and ducking told Roach that his best piece of lifetime advice was to 'never open your own gym.' So, at age 35, Roach did just that. He asked a bunch of friends to write down possible names for the new gym, saying that in the process he would certainly find a good wild card. Then he named it that. Opening a gym, despite Futch's warning, was more a career reality than anything else. Roach was a boxer. He knew boxing. Not a whole lot else. He tried telemarketing for a while in Las Vegas. 'We just got on the phone and lied our ass off,' he says. He tried tree trimming, but the life of an arborist did not suit him, either. They were men in trees and Roach did not want to be one of them. 'I saw a guy lose control of his chain saw and slash his chest,' Roach says, apparently not comparing that to the damage done by a shot to the chin from Mike Tyson. Over the years, 42 fighters have prepared in Wild Card Gym and gone on to win world titles. Roach, the guy helping them prepare, has been named boxing trainer of the year seven times and was inducted into Boxing's Hall of Fame in Canastota, N.Y., in 2012. The most famous of those 42, of course, is Pacquiao, who walked into the Wild Card one day, asked to 'do mitts' with Roach, and went on to win an unprecedented eight division titles. There may be more. Pacquiao recently lost his re-election bid for his Philippines senate seat and is rumored to be looking for a summer Las Vegas fight. This, of course, is after he retired and is being inducted in the boxing Hall of Fame in June. Go figure. And, lo and behold, Roach is not ruling out training Pacquiao for this next one, if it happens. 'If he does this fight,' Roach says, 'I hope I'm in his corner.' If not, Roach is a happy man. His gym will be honored with the ceremony Sunday. And alongside him will be his longtime companion, Marie Spivey, whom he married two years ago. What a wedding it was. They did it in the Wild Card. Freddie was in the blue corner and Marie in the white.
Irish Examiner
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Cork's Callum Walsh set to take on long-standing contender Espadas in June
Cork boxer 'King' Callum Walsh's rise through the pro ranks will see him face long-standing contender Elias 'The Latin Kid' Espadas in June. Walsh (13-0, 11 KOs) last fought in March when he secured an impressive first-round knockout against Scotland's Dean Sutherland at Madison Square Garden. It was his third appearance at the iconic boxing venue. The 24-year-old Cobh native will now return to Southern California on Saturday, June 21 to take on Espadas (23-6-1, 16 KOs) of Yucatan, Mexico at the Chumash Casino. The 34-year-old Espadas most recently earned a draw against junior middleweight contender Sadriddin Akhmedov, who is also promoted by Tom Loeffler's 360 Promotions. The previously unbeaten Kazakh went for ten rounds with Espadas. It marks another step up for Walsh. He is trained by Hall of Famer Freddie Roach out of Wild Card Boxing Club in Los Angeles and supported by UFC boss Dana White. The fight will once again be shown live on UFC FIGHT PASS. 'I am destined to be the best fighter in the world,' he declared after his most recent victory. 'I am getting stronger and stronger and I am showing it each time.' That was a fourth straight knockout. Walsh was originally due to fight in July, but after bursting through his St Patrick's Day outing, his next bout has been moved forward. Elsewhere, Galway's Kieran Molloy will headline a boxing card at Pearse Stadium on Saturday, June 28. Promotional company GBM Sports confirmed on social media that the Oughterard native (11-0, 6 KOs) will fight in front his home fanbase. The 26-year-old previously sold out Salthill's Leisureland in 2023 and is now set for an outdoor show. 'When I signed as a professional a couple of years back, I was asked for my dream venue to fight in,' Molloy told Galway Bay FM. 'I mentioned Pearse Stadium straight away. To do it only over three years into my pro career is very exciting. I am really looking forward to it. GBM are going to put on a really good production alongside DAZN.'
