For once, the spotlight is on Freddie Roach, via HBO

Published January 23, 2012 10:55am

Would Jordan be Jordan without legendary coach Phil Jackson? Would Pacquiao be Pacquiao without his illustrious trainer Freddie Roach? We'll never know, but always a matter of intense sports debate is the value to a superstar of his mentor. A new HBO six-part reality series puts the spotlight on Freddie Roach, who in the Philippines has always been mentioned in the same breath as Pacquiao. In this HBO special, viewers will get to know Roach beyond his current claim to fame, and learn about the Parkinson's disease that has debilitated and in a way ennobled him, his own career as a lightweight boxer, and the humility that could be one reason why Pacquiao has not grown a head as big as Mayweather's. The series began airing on January 20. From the LA Times:

Filmmakers Brendan and Emmett Malloy followed Roach, 51, through medical appointments, a family tragedy and the morning shift at his Wild Card gym. "He's alone in here, working with a guy off the street who pays his five bucks," Brendan Malloy said. "It's like going to the YMCA, and Phil Jackson signs you in."

Said Emmett Malloy: "He says it best when he says, 'Don't feel sorry for me.' There's an endearing spirit about this guy."

"This provides a more complex understanding … about boxing's effects on a life. The hard irony to this is that Freddie trains fighters to do the same thing that put him in this condition. It's a fascinating inner conversation he has with himself." - HS, GMA News

Tags: mannypacquiao, freddieroach