Roach may not be in Arthur's corner
Posted: 11 Oct 2003, 07:10
ALEX Arthur is facing an anxious wait to see if new trainer Freddie Roach will be in his corner when he defends his British super-featherweight title at Meadowbank Stadium on 25 October.
The celebrated American trainer, who last weekend masterminded James Toney’s outstanding victory over Evander Holyfield in Las Vegas, is scheduled to arrive in Edinburgh tomorrow to start work with Arthur in the final two weeks ahead of his sold-out showdown with Michael Gomez. Roach, however, is a man much in demand and Arthur has revealed that a contractual row threatens his role in a fight where victory would see the unbeaten Edinburgh boxer claim the prized Lonsdale Belt outright.
One of Roach’s leading fighters, Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines, is currently preparing for his eagerly awaited match with Mexican superstar Marco Antonio Barrera, the world’s No1 featherweight, in San Antonio on 15 November.
Martin Elorde, Pacquiao’s manager, is unhappy at the prospect of Roach leaving his boxer’s camp to spend a fortnight in Scotland with Arthur and has threatened to withhold the trainer’s $25,000 purse if he does.
"I spoke to Freddie on the phone on Thursday night," said Arthur, "and he is getting a really hard time from Pacquiao’s manager. They are basically saying that he can’t come to Scotland and that he is contracted to spending the full eight weeks in training with Pacquiao.
"It’s an awkward situation for Freddie, but he is still in talks with Pacquiao’s people and hopes to sort something out so he can get here on Sunday. I’ve just got to wait and see what happens."
Roach proved an instant hit with Arthur when the pair teamed up for the first time earlier this year, the 25-year-old producing arguably the best performance of his career with an eighth-round stoppage of Scottish rival Willie Limond at the Braehead Arena in July.
While it would undoubtedly be a setback for Arthur if Roach is unable to be with him for the Gomez fight, the champion insists he is more than happy with the contingency plans he has in place.
"Terry McCormack, my former amateur trainer, worked with Freddie in the corner for the Limond fight and he has done a great job with me on a day-to-day basis since I left the Peter Harrison camp," said Arthur.
"I’m comfortable with Terry and it won’t be a problem if we have to face Gomez without Freddie. Most of the hard work has been done already when I spent a week in Los Angeles last month at Freddie’s gym."
That proved an illuminating experience for Arthur, who found himself sparring, albeit briefly, with one of boxing’s most colourful characters, former three-weight world champion Johnny Tapia.
"The sparring was brilliant over there, but I only got a few rounds with Tapia because he fell out with Freddie and went back home to Albuquerque," said Arthur.
"I also sparred with several Mexican boxers as well as the undefeated Irish featherweight Bernard Dunne, who is based in LA and whom I know from my amateur career. Just spending time on the pads with Freddie was education enough and the whole week was really beneficial."
Arthur’s preparations have not been completely straightforward, however, as he found himself laid low last week with a mystery virus.
"It was really worrying at the time," he said. "I had a sore stomach and felt really nauseous. I didn’t know what was up and had to miss training for three days. Happily it went away as quickly as it came and I feel fine now. Overall, the training has been brilliant and I’m definitely ready for Gomez."
Obtaining quality sparring partners has proved the only real difficulty for Arthur who was disappointed when Gavin Rees, the Welshman controversially ranked just above him in the WBO ratings, pulled out of his scheduled trip to Edinburgh at the last minute.
However, Arthur hopes to complete his sparring next week against tough Ghanaian Eric Odumasi, a former opponent of Scott Harrison, to reach a desired peak ahead of fight night.
"After that, the final week will just be about tapering down and getting physically and mentally ready for Gomez," he said. "It’s going to be a massive night for me, fighting in my home town as a pro for the first time, and I don’t intend to let anyone down."
The celebrated American trainer, who last weekend masterminded James Toney’s outstanding victory over Evander Holyfield in Las Vegas, is scheduled to arrive in Edinburgh tomorrow to start work with Arthur in the final two weeks ahead of his sold-out showdown with Michael Gomez. Roach, however, is a man much in demand and Arthur has revealed that a contractual row threatens his role in a fight where victory would see the unbeaten Edinburgh boxer claim the prized Lonsdale Belt outright.
One of Roach’s leading fighters, Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines, is currently preparing for his eagerly awaited match with Mexican superstar Marco Antonio Barrera, the world’s No1 featherweight, in San Antonio on 15 November.
Martin Elorde, Pacquiao’s manager, is unhappy at the prospect of Roach leaving his boxer’s camp to spend a fortnight in Scotland with Arthur and has threatened to withhold the trainer’s $25,000 purse if he does.
"I spoke to Freddie on the phone on Thursday night," said Arthur, "and he is getting a really hard time from Pacquiao’s manager. They are basically saying that he can’t come to Scotland and that he is contracted to spending the full eight weeks in training with Pacquiao.
"It’s an awkward situation for Freddie, but he is still in talks with Pacquiao’s people and hopes to sort something out so he can get here on Sunday. I’ve just got to wait and see what happens."
Roach proved an instant hit with Arthur when the pair teamed up for the first time earlier this year, the 25-year-old producing arguably the best performance of his career with an eighth-round stoppage of Scottish rival Willie Limond at the Braehead Arena in July.
While it would undoubtedly be a setback for Arthur if Roach is unable to be with him for the Gomez fight, the champion insists he is more than happy with the contingency plans he has in place.
"Terry McCormack, my former amateur trainer, worked with Freddie in the corner for the Limond fight and he has done a great job with me on a day-to-day basis since I left the Peter Harrison camp," said Arthur.
"I’m comfortable with Terry and it won’t be a problem if we have to face Gomez without Freddie. Most of the hard work has been done already when I spent a week in Los Angeles last month at Freddie’s gym."
That proved an illuminating experience for Arthur, who found himself sparring, albeit briefly, with one of boxing’s most colourful characters, former three-weight world champion Johnny Tapia.
"The sparring was brilliant over there, but I only got a few rounds with Tapia because he fell out with Freddie and went back home to Albuquerque," said Arthur.
"I also sparred with several Mexican boxers as well as the undefeated Irish featherweight Bernard Dunne, who is based in LA and whom I know from my amateur career. Just spending time on the pads with Freddie was education enough and the whole week was really beneficial."
Arthur’s preparations have not been completely straightforward, however, as he found himself laid low last week with a mystery virus.
"It was really worrying at the time," he said. "I had a sore stomach and felt really nauseous. I didn’t know what was up and had to miss training for three days. Happily it went away as quickly as it came and I feel fine now. Overall, the training has been brilliant and I’m definitely ready for Gomez."
Obtaining quality sparring partners has proved the only real difficulty for Arthur who was disappointed when Gavin Rees, the Welshman controversially ranked just above him in the WBO ratings, pulled out of his scheduled trip to Edinburgh at the last minute.
However, Arthur hopes to complete his sparring next week against tough Ghanaian Eric Odumasi, a former opponent of Scott Harrison, to reach a desired peak ahead of fight night.
"After that, the final week will just be about tapering down and getting physically and mentally ready for Gomez," he said. "It’s going to be a massive night for me, fighting in my home town as a pro for the first time, and I don’t intend to let anyone down."