Recent visit to the Wildcard Gym to see Roach

Hey guys,

I was in LA a few days ago & thought I'd take a punt to visit the Wildcard Gym & see Freddie Roach as a visiting fan.

Upon arrival, Pepper asked me what I doing there (haha) & is very protective over who enters the gym but once I explained I was just a fan he was cool & took me up the steps- I walked in & there's Freddie Roach laughing & chatting away by the door. I'm not usually lost for words but I couldn't help but be star struck. He was incredibly friendly & so relaxed, Willing to chat away for as long as I wanted. Given PAC & Khan were away for vacation it was surprisingly easy to chill out with the guy. I wish I'd made a thread in advance of my visit to canvas Brit Forum questions but here were some of the things i noted:

- he seems very confident about mayweather & is keeping his eye on him
- mentioned Floyd had been banged up for 90 days so negotiations can't happen (old news now but was new at the time)
- Indicated discussions will kick off when he's out: I can't speak for Arum but I sensed Roach genuinely wants to see the fight happen
- He burst out laughing when I asked what the hell happened with PAC & Marquez when they fought; his response with laughter was "come on, give us a break, we have 1 bad fight in 10years & everyone's saying we're done"
- He conceded that Marquez has one of those styles that will always trouble PAC: "styles makes fights" as he shrugged his shoulders
- On Khan he mentioned "they're" (team khan) are really trying to secure a re-match but Peterson doesn't really want it
- I got the impression he's not that close with Team Khan, whenever he spoke of PAC it was always "we", with Khan it was "they" though he clearly has a strong bond with both fighters Khan's handlers (ie. cab driver uncle) seems sensitive over Roach becoming too influencial. Very diff relationship dynamic.
- Mentioned that he was surprised by Peterson: "that's the best I've ever seen him fight. He really fought harder than we expected"
- "he (Khan) spent too much time on the ropes"
- Roach really felt the above point is what Khan failed at, he didn't seem too worried though & I suspect will be working to address that in the next camp
- it was interesting Roach didn't bring anything up about the referee, this really was a fight Khan shouldn't have lost & needn't have if he didn't let Peterson keep him on the ropes.
- Finally, we got a photo together & while he seemed pretty healthy & energetic bouncing around the gym, when he put his hand on my shoulder I could feel his fingers trembling. Really made me sad. Khan & PAC keep Roach's reflexes sharp which helps battle the Parkinson's. I really hope Khan's "team" **** off & let Roach build up the same Father-Son type bond he has with PAC

Absolutely legendary guy. So humble & down to earth. Was blown away by his friendliness & openness.