Is Freddie Roach losing his edge as an elite trainer? Does Jermain Taylor have Andre Dirrell in his sights for 2012? Will Kelly Pavlik flourish or flounder under Robert Garcia after leaving former trainer Jack Loew? Find out the answer to these questions and more in this week's "Pillar to Post!"
Roach's Trainer Stock Takes A Huge Hit
Freddie Roach is probably the busiest man in boxing, but he is often also considered to be the absolute best trainer in the sport for one reason or another. The success he has generated with Amir Khan, Manny Pacquiao, and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in recent years is quite impressive indeed, but 2011 may very well be the year where the wheels have stopped turning for Roach. Outside of Chavez, Roach's clients haven't done so well this year, and that warrants serious consideration in regards to Roach's abilities as a trainer.
Roach's fighters have the same type of windmill-style offense that consists of just moving forward and throwing combinations. It works wonders if your opponent squares up or comes forward looking to fight, but against a fighter with movement and technical skills, it's not effective. Look at Khan's loss against Lamont Peterson last weekend, as well as Pacquiao's near-miss against Juan Manuel Marquez in November, two well-rounded fighters with a jab and movement. When confronted with that style, Roach's fighters show that they have no plan B, or even enough ring intelligence, to make adjustments.
I've always held the opinion that Roach is more of a master matchmaker than an elite trainer, reason being that with all of these fighters, not one has shown the extra dimension to adjust when things aren't going to plan. Jorge Linares and Craig McEwan would've won their fights against Antonio DeMarco and Andy Lee respectively if they had just made it to the final bell, but because they were never shown how to fight going backwards, or even fundamental defense, they got knocked out.
Roach is working with more clients now than ever before, and he's really not looking very well due to his long battle with Parkinson's disease. I can see why Bob Arum suggested Chavez make the switch and train with Robert Garcia, and why fighters like Vanes Martirosian and Guillermo Rigondeux left him outright. I'm sorry to say, but maybe now is the time we take Roach off the pedestal that we're all responsible for putting him on to begin with.
Kelly Pavlik and Jack Loew Part Ways
Former Middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik is hoping to get his career back on track after nearly killing it by walking out of a scheduled fight with Daryl Cunningham earlier this year, but he won't be doing it with the man that got him this far. Pavlik is heading to Oxnard to train with Robert Garcia, leaving long-time trainer Jack Loew behind. The two have been at each other's throats lately, calling each other leeches, alcoholics and frauds.
While Pavlik claims he needed a fresh start and dumped Loew, the reality is that Top Rank informed Cameron Dunkin, Pavlik's manager, that they weren't willing to promote him unless he got out of Ohio and dumped Loew, so that's exactly what he did. The move to Garcia is an odd one because Garcia is more of a rah-rah coach, whereas I see Loew as more of a strategist and, in my opinion, a better trainer than Garcia. I know that Pavlik may probably be done as a prime-time fighter, but hopefully this will help him right his ship and get his life in order.
Showtime Laying Down the Groundwork For Taylor-Dirrell
Even though Showtime's New Year's Eve card was cancelled, the December 30th card featuring the returning Jermain Taylor and Andre Dirrell is still a go as both fighters make their return from medically-induced exile. Ironically enough, both men were put in that position by the fists of Arthur Abraham, who hit Taylor so hard that his brain bled and nailed Dirrell with a cheap shot that got him disqualified in their bout. Taylor is coming back as a promotional free agent and may be looking to get back into title contention quickly by facing off against Dirrell some time next year.
Initially, Taylor wanted to return to the 160-pound division and pursue a money-fight with Sergio Martinez, but those plans went up in smoke when Lou DiBella, Taylor's ex-promoter, allegedly turned him down because he still doesn't believe Taylor should be fighting. Dirrell will need a fight against a named opponent to erase the fiasco he went through to avoid facing friend Andre Ward last year, citing neurological problems as a result of the Abraham fight. What's funny is that Dirrell said he saw a doctor who validated the injury when people questioned him, but unlike Bernard Hopkins, he did not send out a press release with the medical results or the specific doctor's name.
Danny Howard can be reached via e-mail (dhoward@fighthype.com), Twitter (@DBHoward126) and on Facebook.