The final episode of HBO’s On Freddie Roach opened with a knockout. This knockout however was not by one of Freddie’s fighters, but by Freddie himself. Freddie never got to the level of boxing that he wanted to reach. He never won a world title and therefore was never a world champion, but today he known as the best trainer in boxing, and has been in the corner for dozens of world champions. Freddie trains fighters constantly, and literally never takes a day off despite being affected by Parkinson’s disease. Peter Berg does an absolutely fantastic job giving us a glimpse into his life and each one of these 6 episodes. The final episode is by far the most fascinating and gives a perfect conclusion to one of the best documentaries I have seen in a really long time. [Read more...]
TV WIthout Commercials Review: On Freddie Roach 6
TV Without Commercials Review: On Freddie Roach 5
Last week in On Freddie Roach we saw Freddie beginning his training with his most talented, and by far most popular fighter, Manny Pacquiao. This time, however, Freddie is not in Manny’s native Philippines. Instead Manny is in Hollywood at Freddie’s Wild Card Gym, and is only a few days away from his third fight with Juan Manuel Marquez. It was incredible to see the change in the gym once Pacquiao is there. Any other time we have seen the Wild Card is has looked like any other boxing gym, but with Manny’s presence it has an entirely different aura, and in the middle of it all is Freddie who quietly reigns over everyone else inside. Pepper is still in rough shape from his stroke but he is definitely better than he was when we last saw him. It’s still sad to see him struggling to walk around, and move objects with his left hand when we saw him in the second episode having all of his motor skills functioning properly. The thing that easily stuck with me more than anything else from this episode though, and was something I didn’t think too much of last week, is the temper of Manny Pacquiao. [Read more...]
TV Without Commercials Review: On Freddie Roach 4
This weeks episode of HBO’s On Freddie Roach we finally get a chance to see Freddie working with his bread and butter, Manny Pacquiao. Manny Pacquiao is single handedly the reason Freddie Roach is the most famous trainer in this current era of boxing. The two of them went from being somewhat well known in the boxing community to super stars of the sport and they did so with the help of one another. This gave both men a great deal of respect for each other, and I love the way Freddie Roach puts it in one of his voice overs. He says that Manny do this day still calls him master, but the reality of it is that without Manny, Freddie would not be the same person he is today. Before Freddie heads to the Philippines he attends what appears to be a party for Pepper’s release from the hospital. Pepper is still in rough shape from his stroke and it appears that he is barely able to get around even with the aid of his stick. His left arm is also in a cast of some kind, and it’s movement is still limited. [Read more...]
TV Without Commercials Review: On Freddie Roach 3
This weeks episode of On Freddie Roach gave us an opportunity to see yet another side of the remarkable Freddie Roach. For the upcoming 2012 Summer Olympics Freddie has taken it upon himself to work with each one of the U.S. hopefuls. One thing that HBO didn’t really go into much detail on about this is that Freddie decided to do this on his own. No one is paying him, and no one asked him for his help either. Just the idea of asking a professional trainer, especially one as accredited and famous as Freddie Roach, is unheard of. What is discussed in this episode, by Freddie himself, is that he wants boxing to be what it once was in this country. Professional boxing is no where near what it once was in terms in popularity but amateur boxing is in even worse shape and Freddie is determined to change that. [Read more...]
TV Without Commercials Review: On Freddie Roach 2
This episode of On Freddie Roach was intense to say the least. We got to see and learn a lot more about Freddies past, mostly what his home life was like growing up. We got to a chance to see him interact with his older brother Pepper as well as his mother Barbara. Both of them work at Freddie’s Wild Card Boxing Gym located in Hollywood California. Actually I don’t think his mother works there, I’m pretty sure she just spends time there looking after her two sons. I’m not too sure if Freddie has other siblings. From the way he and Pepper spoke of their upbringing it sort of sounded as though they did but maybe not. Either way, Freddie and Pepper are very close to one another as well as their mother, and Freddie takes care of both them with complete selflessness. [Read more...]
TV Without Commercials Review: On Freddy Roach
“On Freddie Roach” is HBO’s new documentary miniseries which offers a glimpse into the life the most famous trainer in contemporary boxing. Freddie Roach has trained over 20 world champions though out his career, from Manny Pacquiao to Oscar De La Hoya and even at one point Mike Tyson. Recently he has been inducted into the boxing hall of fame, and just this year was selected by the boxing writers association as Trainer of the Year for the 5th time. Roach has accomplished all of this despite being inflicted with Parkinson’s disease.
