Pacquiao entering Matthysse fight without Roach

For the first time since 2001, Freddie Roach will not be in the corner of eight-division world boxing champion Manny Pacquiao.

After a controversial loss to Jeff Horn in Brisbane, Australia last July, Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao will be stepping into the ring once again. As confirmed by Golden Boy Promotions CEO Oscar De La Hoya, the eight-division world champion is scheduled to fight WBA welterweight champion Lucas Matthysse.

One major change for the Pacquiao camp for this fight, however, is that for the first time in 16 years, long-time trainer Freddie Roach will not be in the corner. Instead, Manny’s long-time friend Buboy Fernandez will be handling the training and coaching duties.

”That’s Manny’s decision. Manny has told me Buboy will be handling the training on this fight,” Pacquiao’s manager Michael Koncz told ESPN. “What’s important to Manny is that he has one voice to listen to in the corner that he trusts, and I guess that’s Buboy for this fight.”

Roach apparently was not notified by this change of plans, according to Koncz. The reason for this decision was about some statements Roach supposedly made against Pacquiao, which were not specified.

“There were some concerns Manny had in the last fight and some statements Freddie made to the media that Manny wasn’t very pleased about,” Koncz said.

In an interview with FightHype last July, Roach expressed some sentiments after the Horn fight, specifically with how displeased he was at the idea of Pacquiao juggling his duties as a Senator in the Philippines with his fighting career.

Pacquiao began working with Roach in 2001 when he first fought in the United States against South African fighter Lehlo Ledwaba. “Pacman” won the fight via sixth-round TKO and bagged the IBF 122-pound title in the process.