and I knew that she was the one that was maybe  sometimes taking the beating for for me to keep me out of trouble so there’s domestic violence  going on at home H 100% yes and uh I remember one day my mother walked downstairs and she has  a couple black eyes and I said you’re you’re one tough person and I kind of just laughed at her  and I walked away and that she always I I I just always felt really bad for saying that after I did  say that and uh in my job in life from that point I thought it was to take care of her how important  was love from your mom my mom was really important

my mom she’s she’s the only one that really held  the the the family together and um she was she stuck up for us a lot she was good good to us and  I didn’t realize that till later on life and then I made a a vow one day that whatever she wants  she can have and um she took advantage of it so do you have a specific story of of how Mom’s love  affected you or how important it was when you were growing up my mother didn’t leave the family  until my youngest brother was 18 she wanted all of us to be grown up and able to function on on  her own before so when when my youngest brother

became 18 then she left she finally left and I  say you know like why didn’t she leave so like earlier like you know and thinking thinking but  then she told me the story of why she saved and she wanted to protect us and and be be a mom like  she’s supposed to be at what point could you stand up to your dad and keep him from doing this to  your mom my oldest brother stepped in one time and tried to break it up and tried to help her  and my dad showed us all not that that wasn’t the right thing to do and he was thrown out of the  house was at 15 and he had to get quit school and

got a job and um he became very successful person  but he did well on his own but um it was no help of my my father it didn’t help him at all where  did did his anger come from um I think he was frustrated because he was unsuccessful fighter  you know he won the New England featherweight championship in 1947 and then his career didn’t  go much further than that and um we lived in the projects in DEA Massachusetts and the projects is  like um a lot of poor families and so forth and a lot of competition and a lot of competition  in the family a lot of competition outside

the family U being the best athletes and so  forth and uh quite a few street fights yeah um I probably fought my brother pepper every day  some at some some point but that son of a kept winning though so well did it feel good to  fight somebody other than your brothers sometimes yes because um they were predictable and I I  knew what to look Styles I knew what to look out for I said well that one he carries a knife  this one bites because one thing that in a street fight that with the roaches at least um my father  really taught us to win whatever it takes to win

how many street fights do you think you were  in growing up street fights probably about 3 400 what’s the craziest thing you did to win  a street fight um these three guys cut me off out in front and then the car in back and then  I jumped out and three guys jumped out and and I just said to myself I better do something here  before they kill me because I think they were trying to kill me because it was just a real bad  beating and um I took the main guy and I remember I put him down and I jumped on top of him and  I pulled him up into my into into my mouth and

I bit his eyeball out I mean there was um you bit  his eyeball out mm I had I had eyelashes actually stuck in my teeth um you know and the thing is  um it was like no I really think that I said that I better do something drasic here because  otherwise I’m not going to make it I mean it was a real hard hard fight what did the other two do  once you saw that they you get in the car and left yeah um it’s um you’re such a mild mannered  looking guy you know it’s funny cuz like I think um I Prett I I pretty much have lost my  mean streak and I’m really happy about that

because I’m not a mean person anymore at all  and I try to get along with everybody and but the thing is one thing we all have was we all had  the Killer Instinct and that’s probably one thing that in boxing most people need to have that  killer instinct to be the best at what they do school important in the household no a d was  passing and that was that’s so if you got a D that was okay that was okay yeah when did you realize  how big boxing was going to be in your life the importance of boxing in your life probably about  16 is when I really started to enjoy the sport

and started to really like what what I was doing  to getting ready fights training and so forth so and then I became the best fighter in the house  at that point and that’s when I really started to really love the game 1976 Olympic team you’re  an alternate yes you got Michael Leon Spinx Sugar Ray Leonard that’s pretty heavy stuff there we H  that was a really really good good Olympic team it was very good but how proud were you to be the  alternate I was very proud to be be on you know just an alternate on team and we got to fight  in a tournament up there with the Canadians to

get everything like in sync so everything was run  correctly and uh and then we’re we’re of course sparring partners for The A Team the number one  team and we helped them get ready for the Olympics and we did quite well in that Olympic and uh  it’s funny because most of the alternates on the team right there it wasn’t because we weren’t  good enough though but we we weren’t actually old enough either because we were only 16 at that  time and as as an Olympian you have to be at least 17 to be a boxer at the Olympics so but it  was um it was a a great experience shortly after

that you turned Pro yes what do you remember  about turning pro being really nervous like you know it’s just like it was something like  it was different you know this is the first time I’m going to get paid how much you get paid  first fight six rounds $90 yeah I remember I get paid in $1 bills it was $91 bills $91 bills yes  and then I had to give my train my trainer 10% your Trader got $9 yes I didn’t want to give it  to him me I thought I I kind of thought he’ Let Me Ride you know no so your father’s in your  corner for a few fights up to my fourth Pro

fight my dad took me to Las Vegas to to find a  new trainer and then Eddie fotch and we found Eddie fot what did Eddie foot teach you Eddie was  a great teacher he’s really really taught me how to be a a better boxer and a better technician  better defense Eddie was allaround very good trainer his knowledge of the game was really  really high I mean and he had been around some great great boxers yes he has like 22 23 world  champion Frasier Spinx he yes he’ been around a lot of great Fighters yes he was better for me as  because I was kind of stuck in my ways about how

I would fight but you’re 24 and one and thinking  about a world Title Here at that time yes yeah and um is that that’s the goal the goal was the  world title yes and um Mario Chavez oh yeah you need this to get to that that world title this is  stepping stone to the world title yes in Manila working this bout Freddy baby face Ro in the blue  trunks Mario Chavez in the red left hook by roach and we’ve got some blood underneath the right  eye of Mario Chavez Freddy roach now fighting with a budy nose Chavez with another strong  left hook Freddy roach is letting it all hang

out here in the 10th and Final Round that was the  Left Right comination by Freddy roach roach with the left and the right a right uppercut by roach  we’re halfway through the last round and Freddy roach is beating a rat tatat on Mario Chavez  what a fight the winner by unanimous decision roach broke your hand in that fight yes you ever  the same after that I broke the hand in the second round and then I had a a little bit time off and  then I had surgery on the hand and then I broke it again in training getting ready for the next  fight and had Sur again the right hand never came

back so the title title Chances Are Over yeah the  title chances were over at the time but you become a journeyman after that you become the opponent  for somebody who’s going to get a title shot yes how tough is that to know that you’re now the  opponent very very difficult tough to swallow you know everyone’s goal is to win a world title  I was disappointed yes but the thing is you know not everybody can be a world champion I figured  out and uh it’s just not made for for everybody and then um Eddie was getting a little bit more  um separated because he had Larry Holmes now and

he had a lot of heavyweight champions and so forth  and Edie was spending a lot lot of time with them and not me anymore so this is 1985 and he decides  that he’s going to leave you yes a after the fight in uh L Massachusetts I kind of uh decided in  the second round of that fight that this is my last fight I says during the fight you decide yes  I I just didn’t want to fight anymore it wasn’t my I didn’t want I didn’t want to win I didn’t  try to win I just was going through the motions and just trying not to get knocked out and uh  that was the first time I’ve ever done that in

my life and I said you know how can I you know go  from one to be world champion almost becoming a world champion to to to this and then and I went  back into the dressing room and and my dad says to me um what happened to you I says what do you  mean he said how can you be so good at one point of your life and be so bad at this point and  I says well why you go yourself and uh so um that was it you you say that and then you  walk out the door and that’s it yeah so then I retired and then um I kind of I kind of just  messed around for about a year and um I think

I spent all my money so you finished your boxing  career you go to Las Vegas yeah and you’re going to be a telemarketer and you you have a different  name than Freddy roach yes Joe Davis so you’re Joe Davis the telemarketer yeah what do you selling  pens key tags baseball hats advertisement items um so like if you’re insurance company I would sell  you key tags and pens if you’re a construction company I would sell you coffee mugs and baseball  hats and with your logo on them in bold print is this your sales pitch right here the Bold Prince  but you don’t have any money like you’re you’re

broke at this time I’m broke I’m broke yeah a  friend of mine Stevie cisac he owned American Distributing and he was the one that gave me a  job you know just until maybe something something breaks somewhere you know by the way when I  talked to him he said you were horrible as a telemarketer he’s correct I mean I mean I he said  you you would you wouldn’t push anybody when you would sell it you would say here’s what it is are  you interested no and then you would say okay and then you would hang up yeah telemarketers don’t  do that no they want to keep you on the phone

they keep you on the phone because sometimes  people in the world can’t say no you go from nearly fighting for a title yeah to tell marketer  in a drunk in a drunk and drunk happy hour every night how do you get out of this I get lucky um  Eddie is really busy with his Fighters and says Freddy and can you help me and Mr fudge wanted  me to be part of his team yes did he know that you were in trouble yeah yes he heard yeah he he  heard about a lot a lot of the fights a lot of the barroom brawl it was so you’re fighting in Vegas  too it was all over Vegas just not in the ring it

yeah it um Eddie really LED on to me because I was  he knew I was going to be there every day I wasn’t I I would would never miss a day or something  like that like some of the other assistants he saved your life he saved my life yes and uh I um  I made a couple decisions at that time of my life that um I’m not going to be a bad example for  my trainers and I’m not going to ask them not to drink if I do drink so I quit drinking I quit I  quit everything in my life the only I’d go to work in the morning as Joe Davis yes and then after  that was over I’d go right to the boxing gym and

I would train all Edd’s younger fighters and but  Eddie gives you a chance Eddie gives me a chance and Virgil hell says Freddy Eddie is so busy right  now he doesn’t have time to train me can you train me yeah vertually he’s a silver medalist from the  Olympics and uh six months later we were fighting for the world title this is what it looked like he  wants Leslie to initiate the action and he’s doing oh left there’s your shot is down we have this  is the fourth round Vin Renown it’s a mandatory eight he still spaghetti leg he’ll need that  one minute rest and there he’s down he cannot

be Saved by the Bell except the last round uhoh  it’s all over fight is over another upset there is the new WBA light heavyweight champion of  the world with Freddy roach a former fighter Ed you got your world title I got my world title and  um I had a pretty good stable right right right away and uh um Virgil and Marlin and um they’re  both two of my world champions but we’re all under the the umbrella of Eddie fudge so because Eddie  was the The Mastermind behind everything and um at at one point the two fighters came to me and said  Freddy we don’t want to be with Mr fudge anymore

we want we want to be with you because you’re the  one that’s doing all the work anyway and you know Eddie’s making all the money and I and you you  know you you’re not getting enough to like you have to work a job as as Joe Davis and I said  well it’s it’s it’s okay because I’m paying my dues right now and I said it’s it’s okay but they  they both chose to leave Eddie and I went to Mr fudge I said Mr fudge you know these two fighters  want me to train them is that okay and he says no and I I said well I said you know Virgil’s got  a fight coming up pretty soon I’ve been training

him for like the last six months getting him  ready for this big fight and Marlin has a a fight right after that and so forth and I says  I don’t think it’s right for me to leave these guys right in the middle of training camp because  that he asked me he said know let them go and just walk away and I said Mr fud I think that would be  the wrong thing to do he says you know if you’re not with with me they can’t have you so what’ you  do I chose to go with the fighters because I felt it was wrong to let them leave them alone in the  middle of training camp and not to have someone

guide them along the way and wouldn’t that do to  your relationship with Eddie you ruined it me it was really really mad at me for couple years and  then finally one day in the gym you know I walk up to him and I said Mr fudge I said you know  I’m sorry for everything that happens and the things I did wrong and so forth I learned all my  lessons from you and uh and he says Freddy don’t worry about it he says everything’s okay me and  you are fine and I and I thanked him and it was nice to have him back as a friend and the next  day I went I said Mr fudge I said we’re fighting

a guy with this type of style what do which way do  you think we should fight him and he looked at me kind of funny he says this is kind of quick frdy I  says yeah I said I know but I says I wanted to ask you yesterday but I thought it maybe a little bit  early so it worked out it worked out well shortly after this your father passed away in 1992 how  did you find out I was in Ireland um I get the call the guy who ends up having to tell me was  a friend of mine and knows me pretty well and I I felt bad for him having to tell me this but  it was bad you know he’s afid I have some bad

news and your father’s passed away and um I was  I was somewhat sad for a little while just um laying in bed thinking thinking about it and still  your dad still my dad and and I says you know he might be he might be a bit better off where he  is now because he kind of um to me he kind of gave up on life and he didn’t he didn’t want to  live anymore but I wish I didn’t tell my dad to go himself but you know um I if there  was a heaven or a hell I hope I run into him again but we’ll see you’ve established your own  gym now Wild Card gym you’re on your own you’re

training Fighters Yeah Eddie told me at one  time don’t don’t open the box and Jim Freddy it’s a pain in the ass he says don’t it’s a lot  of work it’s a lot of he says you’re better off not doing it and I said to myself I says yeah  but you never know when the next Muhammad Ali is going to walk through your door everything is  going well everything is going yeah and then you you get a diagnosis I was diagnosed as Parkinson’s  and um what did you know about it not much I mean I just said you know there I don’t prod produce  enough dopamine um why I don’t know if I was in

an uncomfortable position or like if I was like  nervous about something or maybe nervous about a fight coming up or big you know opponent that  washing tapes on him I would have Tremors and I would go to sleep with the Tremor and I would wake  up with the Tremor at that time Parkinson was kind of a newer um disease that they didn’t they really  didn’t know much about and they still don’t know a lot about it but they getting better and better  of course Muhammad Ali comes to your gym MH and you know that he has Parkinson’s yes did you  guys compare notes on Parkinson’s a little bit

yes you know I’m sitting there by myself in the  morning and Ali walks in and says can I work out here yeah he says the dress room’s right there and  uh okay and he went went in and then he come out and he put his bag gloves on and he went after the  biggest bag in the gym I said you know what that’s a true heavyweight right there I said because he  went after he didn’t go after the little bag where he was going to beat it up you know and like and  try to impress some somebody you know and I said I saw when you started hitting the heavy bag that  your Tremors go away and he says yeah he says said

it’s like something I’m just used to and he says  I don’t shake during any of my boxing workout and I says when I do mits with my Fighters I don’t  shake either I says when I when I’m doing mths and catching punches um it’s I’m fine you know but  I said but as soon as I stop um the Tremors will will come back and so we’re comparing notes and  so forth but when Ali came in that gym for those four hours he entertained everybody in the gym he  flirted with the girls he did he did everything possibly it was it was the greatest day that  my gym has ever had so 1999 Muhammad Ali walks

through the door and as you said you never know  who’s going to walk through the door right 2001 Manny Pacquiao walks through the door yes what did  you know about Manning nothing didn’t didn’t even know who he was um can I help you he’s a little  guy walking in 112b former world champion who had lost that title um getting knocked out by a body  shot um he says well we hear you’re pretty good at the I catch him with the Ms and I says I can catch  and he says well um you want to work you want to work out together I said yeah no problem so after  one round of Ms with Manny Pacquiao I says wow

this kid can fight because he had speed and he  had power and it’s very very hard to get those two together at that size yeah especially at that  size and I said know CU I asked Pacquiao he says well you know did you go to any other the gyms  before this one he says Freddy I started in New York and I came across the country and I stopped  at every gym I could and everyone else turned me down I says what and so I called up top rank I  says uh you know I got this guy new Pacquiao I was talking to Bob arum and Bob arum says yeah we pass  on him I said why would you pass on him he says

Freddy he’s a small way class he’s not going to  make no money he I says Bo I said no this guy can really fight I says he says he says you’re crazy  so we started working together everything was going really well and then he was about to go home  but right at that time um ledwaba was the world champion from South Africa and he uh his opponent  had gotten sick and pulled out of the fight Manny was the next available opponent what do you think  thinking I told all the top rank employees I said okay now you can make the BET of a Lifetime right  now I says bet on Pacquiao he’s 60 to one I mean

you can’t get a better odds than this I’m telling  him and they said Freddy your guy’s going to get killed I said what are you crazy I said I’m  telling you this kid is special and they says Freddy laaba is like the best 122 pounder in  the world I say I says no he’s not I says he’s second best and he goes into this fight as a 60  to1 Underdog and the announcers don’t even know how to pronounce his name this is true so it’s the  Southpaw Pacquiao against the conventional fighter ledwaba Pacquiao say Pacquiao Pacquiao should  fight here he shouldn’t try to get into a boxing