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Is Freddie Roach the greatest trainer of all time?

Posted: November 3rd, 2009 | By David Isaacson


Is Freddie Roach the greatest boxing trainer of all time, or is he just one of the greatest?

Is Freddie Roach the greatest boxing trainer of all time, or is he just one of the greatest?

Freddie Roach, the coach of Manny Pacquiao, has deservedly earned a reputation of being one of the best boxing trainers in the world today.

Of course, there have been other trainers who have been considered greats along the way.

There was Angelo Dundee (Muhammad Ali and Sugar Ray Leonard), Manny Steward (Thomas Hearns and Lennox Lewis), Eddie Futch (Bob Foster, Joe Frazier and Roach himself) and maybe even Alton Merkerson (Roy Jones jnr) or Roger Mayweather (Floyd Mayweather jnr).

There’s also a counter-view that great boxers would have become great anyway – whether they had good trainers or not!

What do you think? (There are a whole bunch of great trainers from years gone by whom I have over-looked in this poll – apologies for that)

[poll id="8"]

  
 
 

Comments

 

Jekboo

November 4, 2009 at 2:02 am

Dude? seriously, you have roger mayweather on the list?

FMJ trains himself man, roger is a whack

 

doubletangoromeo

November 4, 2009 at 2:08 am

blood, angelo is d man…way to go 4d others man…way to go!

 

stidd

November 4, 2009 at 2:43 am

Floyd mayweather SR, the self-proclaimed “greatest trainer, not of this time or that time but all time”, isn’t in the choices? Boom. that’s gotta hurt.

I choose roach since he refined pacquiao to a complete fighter. Ali and leonard didn’t need much refining.

 

tony

November 4, 2009 at 3:15 am

Cesar Milan is the greatest trainer of all time! (Reply: The dog trainer? lol)

 

bbtroy

November 4, 2009 at 5:30 am

Hey! Where was Floyd Senior in the line up? Is’nt he the self-proclaimed greatest trainer of all time? Did’nt you see Ricky Hatton as the sterling testament to that?

 

isidro

November 4, 2009 at 5:30 am

Unless there is a concrete comparative statistics for all the boxing trainers that made their achievements felt in the sport of boxing that is updated and publish for boxing fans to read in every period of time then the contemporaries will out shine the past.

 

Bforce

November 4, 2009 at 5:55 am

hey, why is nacho beristain not on the list ? (Reply: I suppose the list was never going to be definitive, but good suggestion)

 

princetey

November 4, 2009 at 7:13 am

how about Cus D’Amato, cant you guys count him in? he transformed tyson in an invincible beast early in his career. too bad, he passed so early in tysons career. (Reply: You’re quite right – let’s include him in the poll)

 

Alagad

November 4, 2009 at 7:45 am

Once Pacquiao succeeds in destroying Cotto in their Nov. 14 fight, COACH FREDDIE ROACH WILL ASSUME THE DISTINCTION AS “THE GREATEST BOXING COACH OF ALL TIME”.

 

Pacquiao vs Cotto

November 4, 2009 at 2:16 pm

Mayweather Sr. should have not been included in the list!

For your latest Pacquiao vs Cotto update, visit http://pacquiao-vs-cotto.cebuspace.com/

 

nelson

November 4, 2009 at 3:35 pm

it wudnt be fair to vote. all most people nowadays know is Freddie Roach. The others we just heard are associated with boxing legend (that we have so little exposure of).

 

Aaron

November 4, 2009 at 5:06 pm

I believe that Roach is the greatest trainer because we have watched the progress of pacquiao under him. Pacman would still become a champion but he will not achieve the outmost of what he has right now without Roach. Before roach, pacman was just all raw with natural speed and power, lacking skills to fully utilize his God-given gift. With roach, pacman became a multi-divisional champion, a number 1 pound for pound, first asian to achieve such a feat, a future hall of famer, and a legend.

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  • About

    At the height of his sporting prowess, David Isaacson could be seen every Saturday afternoon climbing the stairs to the upper gallery of Newlands. An all-round sportsman in his younger days - he was equally awful at cricket, soccer, athletics, swimming, table tennis, tennis, judo, cycling, hockey, basketball, volleyball and touch rugby - David quickly learnt that it was much easier (and far less painful) to be an armchair critic. As a journalist he has covered three Olympic Games, infuriated several sports administrators, reported on numerous other events and irritated Butana Komphela.
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