SPORTS
April 18, 2016
THE ASIAN REPORTER n Page 7
Pacquiao, Roach fondly recall 15 years at the Wild Card
By Greg Beacham
AP Sports Writer
OS ANGELES — Manny Pacquiao was all kinds of
hungry when he first walked into the Wild Card
Boxing Club 15 years ago. An undernourished and
largely unknown 118-pound champion wanted to learn, to
grow — to take on the world.
When he walked out of the Wild Card for perhaps the
final time this month, Pacquiao stepped onto an enormous
bus with his glowering face plastered across its length. He
took a four-hour drive to Las Vegas with his entourage of
dozens, stopping only to buy mountains of snacks at a
convenience store, on the way to a luxury suite and his
pay-per-view fight against Timothy Bradley, which he
won, knocking down Bradley twice on his way to a
unanimous 12-round decision in their welterweight
showdown.
Pacquiao found everything he sought from boxing in
this gloriously dilapidated Hollywood gym run by trainer
Freddie Roach. They’ve been together since 2001, forming
a tenacious partnership that might have met its final
test.
“I don’t think this is it, so I don’t think I’m going to have
to get sad or anything like that,” Roach said. “If it is it, I
will miss him, and we’ll be friends forever. But he’s always
been a great guy to me. It would be different not having
him around, for sure, but life goes on. It’s OK.”
If Pacquiao retires into politics, he has already thrown
his final punch at the Wild Card, his training home since
2001. He’ll never again take direction from Roach, who
nurtured his growth into an eight-division champion and
the Philippines’ most famous man.
Pacquiao has repeatedly said he could be forced out
of boxing if the congressman is elected to a senate
position later this year, but he might not have considered
the finality of it all until he actually arrived at his last
workout in Hollywood. His eyes narrowed while he
methodically wrapped his hands with brisk move-
ments.
“I’m thinking about it,” Pacquiao said. “I love it here. It’s
my second home. It’s been a long time since I started
training at the Wild Card.”
Pacquiao has spilled years of sweat and blood on the
well-worn canvas in this living monument to the enduring
charms of the sweet science.
Roach remembers the earliest months of their
relationship with fondness. Pacquiao lived next door at
the Vagabond Inn, and Roach would go back to the humble
hotel to relax while Pacquiao sang and learned to play the
guitar. The Beatles’ “Let It Be” was the first song he
mastered — to a point.
“I don’t know if he’s a great singer,” Roach said. “But he
q
L
My Turn: New ‘Voices of Change’
Continued from page 6
and displacement issues in
the area. Algoso said the
JAMS
space
will
eventually be developed
and may retain some of the
community space on the
ground
floor
with
potentially 40 to 60 units of
affordable housing above.
That’s big news for an area
without much permanent
affordable housing. Algoso
thinks it will take at least
18 months before financing
is set up for the project. In
the meantime, JAMS will
continue as a community
event space.
“We believe this would be
a win for a community
facing gentrification pres-
sures,” said Algoso, who
believes the potential new
development will “address
a number of neighborhood
concerns.”
I find inspiration in the
youthful
energy
at
APANO, not only in its
staff, but with how they
offer opportunities for
youth and community
members to become lead-
ers. This gives me hope for
a better Portland and a way
for pan-AAPI communities
to have a voice in making
decisions about issues such
as health equity and
livability.
The 2016 “Voices of
Change” celebration and
fundraiser is scheduled for
Friday, May 6 from 6:00 to
9:30pm at the JAMS space.
This year’s keynote speak-
er is Miya Yoshitani, exec-
utive director of the Asian
Pacific
Environmental
Network based in Oakland,
California. The admission
cost is $50 per person ($25
per person for APANO
members). To learn more,
or to buy tickets, call (971)
340-4861, e-mail <info@
apano.org>, or visit <www.
apano.org>.
TALKING STORY IN
ASIAN AMERICA
practiced, and he tried really hard to be entertaining at
that. He was just a really good kid.”
The Wild Card has grown along with Roach’s career:
The second-floor gym has also taken over the ground floor
of the battered strip mall on Vine Street. The former
laundromat is now used for Roach’s top clients, including
Miguel Cotto and Pacquiao, whose logo is emblazoned on
the ring.
Roach is modest about his contributions to Pacquiao’s
formidable talent, but he knows what role the Wild Card
played in that development.
“It forced him to maybe grow up a little bit faster than
being home,” Roach said. “I look at pictures from when he
first came, and he only had a couple of guys with him. He
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PUNCHING OUT. Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines fights Timothy
Bradley during their welterweight title boxing match in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Pacquiao was all kinds of hungry when he first walked into the Wild Card
Boxing Club in Los Angeles 15 years ago. An undernourished and largely
unknown 118-pound champion wanted to learn, to grow — to take on the
world. The boxer’s bout with Bradley may have been his last. He won the
fight, knocking down Bradley twice on his way to a unanimous 12-round
decision. (AP Photo/Isaac Brekken)
was almost by himself.”
A loss finally allowed Roach to get the superstitious
Pacquiao out of the run-down Vagabond, which was torn
down in 2013. The fighter moved to houses in nearby
Beverly Hills or Hancock Park, his properties growing
along with his entourage.
Even with an increasingly complex home life in Asia, he
kept coming back to the Wild Card for work.
Los Angeles embraced Pacquiao during his rise, but its
love has faded in recent years. The anti-gay political
rhetoric that ended his relationship with Nike also hasn’t
played well in the progressive town, getting him
ceremonially banned from a popular mall and prompting
the LA Weekly newspaper to ask, “Should Manny
Pacquiao Be Run Out of Los Angeles?”
But inside the Wild Card, Pacquiao’s oldest American
friends are still at his side, even if they disagree with his
pronouncements.
And even if he’s really done fighting, Pacquiao doesn’t
think he’ll leave the Wild Card entirely.
“I might come back here once a year (after retiring),”
Pacquiao said. “Bring my boxers. I have other boxers in
the Philippines.”
Roach believes Pacquiao’s skills and athleticism are
still sharp, and he doesn’t see any slowdowns that would
prompt him to encourage retirement. Although he still
sees the hunger in Pacquiao, he developed a slight doubt
when Pacquiao did something he never does after a
workout.
The fighter gathered Roach and their closest
confidantes for a group prayer.
“We’ll see what happens,” Roach said. “I still can see
senator Manny Pacquiao winning a world title, or
President Manny Pacquiao winning a world title. He
would like to do that.”
Sita Symonette
Licensed Acupuncturist
seasymonettea@gmail.com
Call to schedule an appointment: (503) 308-9363
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