Raw fighter, master trainer form formidable partnership

Freddie Roach knows a good, strong and powerful fighter when he sees one.

In the middle of 2001, the first time he met Manny Pacquiao at his Wild Card Gym in Hollywood, he knew he found one.

"I didn’t know who he was," Roach told a couple of scribes as he tried to recall the very first day he met Pacquiao, then a raw 22-year-old who walked in with his former manager Rod Nazario.

"The first time at the (punch) mitts I said ‘Jesus Christ.’ This guy has power and it’s unbelievable. I said ‘wow.’ That was my first reaction. I said ‘wow,’" the American trainer remembered.

"It’s just that nobody knew him. Nobody knew Manny and people turned him down. And I know people regret that. They turned him down without seeing him," he said.

Roach was looking for someone to face then reigning International Boxing Federation super-bantamweight champion Lehlo Ledwaba when he met Pacquiao.

Pacquiao, he felt, could take on the South African champion in the undercard of the Oscar dela Hoya-Javier Castillejo bout at the MGMGrand in Las Vegas.

Pacquiao knocked Ledwaba out in the sixth round. For the native of Gen. Santos City, it was a smashing victory that carried him to where he is right now.

"I had Johnny Tapia at that time but they wouldn’t fight Ledwaba. So everybody said Ledwaba would kill Manny. But I said no, this kid has a shot. I told everybody that this kid could fight," said Roach.

The first time he was on the ring with Pacquiao, he was totally surprised.

"I was just fortunate enough to be with him on the ring unlike those who turned him down. We just met at the right time. We were trying to impress each other but Jesus Christ can this kid punch," Roach said.

"I really didn’t know who Pacquiao was but it seemed that we’ve done it forever. Usually it takes time to get to know each other. But we hit it off," he added.

After 11 fights with Pacquiao, including last Sunday’s against Oscar Larios, Roach has compiled a record of eight wins, a single loss and two draws with the Filipino boxer.

It’s quite an impressive record. Yet, Roach refused to take all the credit.

"Don’t get me wrong, Pacquiao could fight very well before I met him. I’m not saying that I made a miracle. Pacquiao was a very good fighter when I met him. Whoever taught him how to fight did a good job," he said.

NOTES: Michael Buffer, who amazed the Big Dome crowd with his class act on the ring, quietly left the country Sunday evening, less than 10 hours after belting his famous line "Let’s Get Ready to Rumble." He left with just one special fight souvenir: a Manny Pacquiao jacket. During the pre-fight introduction, he couldn’t help but notice the jacket worn by Cris Aquino, the bubbly flag-bearer. "Nice jacket you’ve got," Aquino quoted Buffer as saying. "I’ll give you one, Michael," the Pinoy businessman answered. Aquino had one delivered to Buffer’s hotel room. Later in the afternoon, they bumped into each other. "Hey mister, thanks for the jacket," Aquino remembers Buffer as saying… Freddie Roach is scheduled to fly back to Los Angeles tonight. After a brief rest, it’ll be back to work at the gym. He said he has a couple of fights on tap, including one featuring Brian Viloria next month.

Joining Roach in the 12-hour trip to LA is Wild Card security officer Rob Peters who was here for the fight. For the first time in two weeks, Peters finally found time to party. "Yup. I enjoyed some San Miguel last night," he said of the small victory party held at Pacquiao’s Manila Hotel suite. And Freddie? Did he get to celebrate? "No, I don’t celebrate," he said. "But I’m happy."