Freddie Roach Will Reunite With Manny Pacquiao For Fight Against Adrien Broner

After a lengthy meeting in Los Angeles on Tuesday night, Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach will reunite with Manny Pacquiao and train Pacquiao for his January 19th fight against Adrien Broner.

After a lengthy meeting in Los Angeles on Tuesday night, Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach will reunite with Manny Pacquiao and train Pacquiao for his January 19th fight against Adrien Broner.

Roach confirmed his decision in an early morning text message to SI.com.

“Manny reached out directly,” Roach said. “We sat together one-on-one. I’ll be in his corner Jan 19.”

Tuesday night’s meeting was the first direct contact between Roach and Pacquiao since Pacquiao’s controversial loss to Jeff Horn in July, 2017. In the aftermath of the loss, Roach was publicly fired by Pacquiao—though he never spoke to Pacquiao directly.

For his last fight, a knockout win over Lucas Matthysse last summer, Pacquiao was trained by his longtime friend and assistant trainer, Buboy Fernandez.

Roach was blindsided when Pacquiao announced on Monday that he would be working with Roach again. Roach was deeply hurt by Pacquiao’s refusal to contact him after the Horn fight, a seemingly abrupt ending to one of the most successful fighter/trainer relationships in boxing history. 

Now, that relationship seems poised to continue.