Even if you’re not a boxing fan, you’ve probably seen the man in this picture. His name is Freddie Roach and he’s been the trainer of some of the greatest boxers of the past century including Manny Pacquiao, James Toney, Mike Tyson, and Oscar De La Hoya just to name a few. On July 19th he will be cornerman in his first ever Mixed Martial Arts fight at the Affliction: Banned event in Anaheim, California. Roach will be cornering none other than the former UFC Heavyweight Champion, Andrei Arlovski who will be fighting Ben Rothwell, formerly of the IFL. Arlovski has been working with Freddie Roach at Wild Card Gym in Hollywood to help him with his boxing skills.
It’s good to see someone like Roach working with one of MMA’s finest. It helps add legitimacy to the sport and can also help open the eyes of journalists and other boxing purists to the skills that mixed martial artists posess. If one of boxing’s top trainers is lending his time and talent to the MMA pool then people must reconize not only are these athletes very well trained, but MMA is a worthwhile investment to be involved with. It just looks good for everyone.
It’s good to see someone like Freddie Roach working with Arlovski as well as for the sport of MMA. I expect the pitbull to put on a great show!