Roach could be the biggest loser in the Pacquiao saga

America at Large:Three years ago Freddie Roach was overwhelmingly elected Trainer of the Year by the Boxing Writers Association of America, and when the nominees were announced a few days ago you had to like his chances of picking up the trophy for the second time.

But that was last week.

Put it this way: if the 46 year-old one-time wunderkind of boxing trainers doesn't win the 2006 Trainer of the Year Award, it won't be because of anything that happened in 2006.

Last Saturday night at a Seminole Indian casino in Florida, Roach's longest-serving mainstay James Toney probably signalled the end of his career as a useful heavyweight when he was soundly beaten by Samuel Peter, a large Nigerian of heretofore dubiously regarded skills.

The next morning Roach was on one plane to Los Angeles to catch another bound for Manila, where he was to be reunited with his prize pupil, Filipino junior lightweight Manny Pacquiao, who is the consensus favourite to be named 2006 Fighter of the Year.

Problem is, by this time next week Roach may no longer be Pacquiao's trainer.

"I'm halfway expecting to be fired," said Roach before leaving for the Philippines. "It seems like everybody else has been." In an ongoing tug-of-war rife with palace intrigue, Pacquiao has signed with yet another promoter, Top Rank's Bob Arum, who appears bent on purging all vestiges of any previous regimes, and Freddie Roach could become the next casualty.

Nearly a decade has elapsed since Roach successfully oversaw the lucrative reign of Steve Collins, whom he trained from the Chris Eubank fights through the end of the Celtic Warrior's career.

In 2003, his seemingly miraculous reclamation project with Toney moved him to the forefront of America's trainers, but even then his work with Pacquiao was instrumental in cementing his reputation.

In the year just past, Pacquiao avenged a previous points decision by twice knocking out Erik Morales in Las Vegas, victories which were sandwiched around a solid win over Oscar Larios, whom he knocked down twice on the way to a unanimous decision in Manila.

This set the stage for what was supposed to be one of the two big super-fights scheduled for the first half of 2007 - a rematch between Pacquiao and the WBC champion, Marco Antonio Barrera, who was stopped by the Pac-Man in Texas four years earlier.

The WBC, in fact, had ordered a purse auction at its Mexico City offices, which was supposed to take place tomorrow morning, but two weeks ago Los Bandidos threw up their hands in confusion over Pacquiao's promotional status and suspended not only the purse bid, but the mandatory status of the Barrera-Pacquiao fight itself.

The other mega-fight looming this spring is Oscar De La Hoya's annual return to the ring. In recent years De La Hoya, through his Golden Boy Productions, has been more involved in the promotional side of the sport than in actual combat, but on May 6th he is slated to defend his WBC light-middleweight title against the undefeated welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. This anticipated meeting was more than slightly complicated by the fact De La Hoya is presently trained by Floyd Mayweather Sr, the father of his prospective opponent. All indications were that Mayweather pere would step aside for this one, but events may prove that blood is not thicker than money.

For all his wonderful talents in the ring, Manny Pacquiao is an heir to another long-standing boxing tradition in that he appears to be a fighter whose head can be quickly turned by the flash of cash. Late last year, after the courts voided his contract with the execrable promoter Murad Muhammad, Pacquiao's status as a promotional free agent made him an even hotter property, and the carrion-eaters flocked in from every direction. Although Top Rank had his rights through the third Morales fight, that contract was due to expire at midnight on December 31st.

Freddie Roach and Los Angeles attorney Nick Khan had done their best to guide Pacquiao through this spate of sudden attention, but seemingly every time they turned their backs, somebody showed up with a fistful of cash and Manny signed another contract. One of them was with Golden Boy Productions.

"Here's what happened," said Roach. "Before the Morales fight, Oscar called me up and asked if I could arrange a meeting between him and Manny. I set up the meeting. Was I present at the meeting? Yes. Did I participate in the negotiations or offer advice? No, I did not." In return for a $300,000 signing bonus, Pacquioa agreed to let De La Hoya promote his next seven fights.

Top Rank took steps to sue Golden Boy for tortuous interference. Roach was named as a co-defendant.

Golden Boy and Top Rank were hardly the only suitors for the boxer's affection. Pacquiao's deposed former manager Shelly Finkel attempted to put together a consortium of businessmen to make a promotional deal with the Pac-Man. And although Don King issued a press release on December 23rd denying interest, Roach insists either King or someone from his office had phoned him every day for 10 consecutive days.

After Golden Boy announced it was now Pacquiao's promoter, Arum flew to the Philippines just after Christmas. In return for a $2.5 million signing bonus, he returned with Pacquiao's signature on a contract.

Since the Golden Boy deal was signed under duress and prematurely, claimed Arum and Pacquaio, it was null and void.

Arum is also now claiming not only did Roach steer Pacquiao to Golden Boy, but that he did so as part of a nefarious quid pro quo by which, in return for delivering Pacquiao to De La Hoya's promotional company, he would be named Oscar's trainer for the Mayweather fight. Roach roundly denies this. "Oscar has approached me about training him for each of his last three fights before this, too, and nothing ever came of it," said Roach. "I think he's leaning toward having Floyd Sr train him for this one as well. But it had nothing to do with the Pacquiao situation."

Khan has already been ousted as Pacquiao's attorney. The boxer won't return Finkel's phone calls, either. Freddie reckons that his own head could be the next to roll.

Arum was Roach's promoter for much of his professional career, and back then the two enjoyed a good relationship. The trainer now suspects the hand of Mayweather Sr may be behind his attempted ouster. Suffice it to say that the two haven't had many kind words to say about one another of late.

"Floyd (Sr) is a joke," said Roach. "Exactly who did he ever train? Oscar was already a finished product when Floyd got him, and the whole time Floyd Jr was developing as a boxer, his father was in jail."

Roach's services remain in considerable demand. And as a result of his association with Pacquiao, he is so popular in his pupil's homeland that he is being paid $170,000 to lend his name to a string of "Freddie Roach Boxing Centers" in the Philippines.

Roach's competition in the Trainer of the Year derby includes Enzo Calzaghe, Naazim Richardson, Emanuel Steward, and Victor Valle Jr. What happens in 2007 should have no bearing on the 2006 awards, but the ballots have yet to go out, and should Pacquiao indeed dump Roach before the vote, it will doubtless affect the outcome.