For approximately 40 weeks of the year, the Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood, California is among the most relaxed and accommodating gyms in the world. World champions, celebrities and private citizens mingle easily with each other as they put in their daily regimen. It's the popular local country club where everyone gathers a few days a week.
But that all changes when Manny Pacquiao comes into town to begin preparing for his latest battle. There was a time (long ago in 2001) that Pacquiao was just another unknown, faceless fighter from a foreign country that trained for his bout versus Lehlo Ledwaba in virtual anonymity as he did his daily training alongside actors looking to stay fit and housewives looking to get back into shape. As he trained for his bout in 2003 with Marco Antonio Barrera, a few of his followers would drop in to wish him luck. But outside of his then-minimal entourage, there really weren't too many Filipinos to be found on the premises.
But as he blasted Barrera in San Antonio that November, the floodgates were then opened. From a Filipino fighter, he became a full blown Filipino icon. His training camp for his initial foray against Erik Morales was deluged by his worshippers who swamped the gym every day. It would literally take 'the Pac Man' about a half-hour to get to the Wild Card dressing quarters from the front entrance (which is no more than 30 feet away). After losing to Morales, his trainer Freddie Roach decided to have more of a closed door policy. But it was still a very loosely followed regulation. It wasn't as if getting into the Wild Card was as difficult as getting through the velvet rope of Studio 54 in 1977.
If you knew Roach or one of his trainers well enough, or one of his boxers or regular clients, or even just a member of the boxing community, you had the privilege of seeing Pacquiao ply his trade. But in the wake of his career-defining victory over Oscar De La Hoya this past December, gaining entry inside the walls of Roach's gym - which is situated on the corner of Vine and Santa Monica Blvd - is nearly impossible. It's become boxing's version of Ft. Knox.
As you walk up the steps to get inside, you see this sign which is attached to a much larger banner for the gym, "Please be advised, starting March 3rd, Wild Card will be closed from 1 pm to 4 pm, Monday through Friday, until April 28th."
The reason is simply that the cozy country club has become that hot new restaurant where you can't get a reservation for a month or the trendy new club that has a line that snakes out for two blocks. It's the place to be. The Wild Card has always been a bit of an attraction for boxing fans in the local area and tourists in town. Per capita it has as much blue-chip, world-class talent as any gym in the world, and Roach has become this generation’s most popular trainer. On a daily basis you will see boxing fans come in and look around the gym as if they have stepped into a boxing monument or a fistic Mecca. Usually they leave with a few autographs and photos and Wild Card paraphernalia that sells briskly at the front desk. The gym has become a brand all its own.
But the bottom line is that Pacquiao and the gym he trains in has simply become too popular for its own good. And now, they are trying to put the genie back into the bottle.
"Yeah," agreed Roach this past Thursday, after putting in some work with Gerry Penalosa, "with 24/7 and the victory over De La Hoya, we had 300 new members sign up since January." A few years ago, Roach expanded his gym to include the room next door to be able to house his ever-burgeoning stable of fighters and trainers. It seems as though they have already out-grown that. "I need a bigger gym," Roach admits.
Things were going well as Pacquiao prepared for his May 2nd bout with Ricky Hatton. While there was a closed-door policy, there was still leakage in terms of spectators and acquaintances being allowed inside the building on a daily basis. Roach grudgingly lived with it until a particularly bad day on April 7th, where there was an overflow of onlookers for Pacquiao's sparring session.
“Manny was playing a lot, he had a little bit of an audience with the movie stars that were there. It's nice to let those guys in once in awhile, Mickey Rourke, Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale, Batman, all nice guys, big boxing fans, but he was talking a lot and he was double-punching," recalled Roach, who was frustrated by that day’s work. "I said, 'OK, that's it.' I threw everybody out. And I told the trainers and sparring partners, 'You're allowed one guy.' When they brought two, I threw them out."
And Roach meant business, as even his own brother Pep, and Shane Langford (now of 24/7 fame) were asked to leave.
"Shane, my own guy, wanted to fight me," said Roach, laughing. "I threw my brother out. I said, 'You guys don't need to be here.' I threw everybody out that doesn't need to be here. So y'know what? His focus was 100-percent better (the next sparring session), he didn't talk one time, he didn't throw a double-punch, and he boxed 10 great rounds."
The new hard-line regulations were a bit of a culture shock to those who are used to sticking around. And it ruffled a few feathers.
"Oh, yeah, some of the Filipinos said I was racist," said an incredulous Roach. "So I said, 'Hey, I threw everyone out.' That’s why I threw my brother out. The rule is for everybody. Once in awhile we have to let people in for media purposes and so forth, but overall, it's a closed policy till the fight."
It's certainly a busy time at the Wild Card anytime Pacquiao is around. Because the gym is closed in the afternoon, that means that the morning hours before 1 pm become very congested. The parking lot looks like the 405 during rush hour and inside, well, sometimes you feel like a guy waiting at the end of a long line at the bakery or deli as you wait for a heavy-bag or double-end bag to open up. You have ticket number 46, while you see they are serving number 28.
With that, even visitors are not allowed to mingle around during those hours. It's not really because of any fire codes are being violated, but really, for everyone’s sanity, which means that people like Marie Spivey, the administrative assistant to Roach and the Wild Card Boxing Club, have had to play the role of bouncer, which is tough for the normally pleasant Spivey.
“It definitely has been," she admits. "You want to be nice to everyone, you want to welcome everyone in here, which is generally what we always do. We've said that our gym is completely open to the public to stop by, meet people, watch some good boxing, open to anyone who wants to train here. But lately, as far as a lot of the Manny fans, it's too much with our boxers, and our clients in here trying to train. It's very flattering that they want to be here and meet Freddie and see where Manny trains. But at the same time, we've had to make it a rule that if you're not training, then you need to be outside. And that's been hard because they're all so nice."
Those denied access to the gym in the past had gotten around the rule by milling around outside the parking lot. But even that is now being discouraged. It is the job of Rob Peters - who was brought in after the first Morales fight - to clear parking space for Manny, and remove any individuals lurking around from the area before working the door. Peters is a friendly and affable guy, but he realizes he has a job to do.
“People are angry at me and there's really nothing I can do about it because we have to provide Manny with the proper environment to train in. So that's what we're going to do," he pleads. But it didn't really help his cause that in one of the 24/7 episodes leading up to the De La Hoya fight that Peters was shown escorting a Filpino family that had traveled several hours to see Pacquiao, into the gym to meet their idol. Because of that exposure, some have expected him to be their version of Harriet Tubman. "That didn't do me any favors. I'm a nice guy and everything but I gotta do my job."
One person that has no problems playing the heavy is former heavyweight champion Michael Moorer, who is now Roach's lead assistant, and unofficially, the enforcer of Wild Card. Roach says with a laugh, "Yeah, I think he likes that role more. He helps me with all my fighters, not just with Pacquiao. He's my assistant for everybody. But he works the front desk, gym dues are paid, people don't skip out."
Moorer is an intimidating figure who constantly has a serious look (which can border on a scowl sometimes as he concentrates on the task at hand in the ring). He's never professed to be Will Rogers, and to him, the gym is a place of business, not amusement and fun. In talking about his role as the gym's enforcer, he says, "I don't know if I had to step in, I think it was just that I was always considered the bad guy in boxing. I'm not trying to step into nobody’s shoes or anybody’s place, it's just my demeanor. That's how I am."
Moorer believes that the best way Pacquiao's maniacal following can help their man is to simply give him some breathing room prior to May 2nd.
“If the fans really understand boxing, they wouldn't pressure him so much. They would let him have his space and let him get mentally focused on what he's supposed to do," he says. "There are some who are like that but I think once we get to Vegas, everything's going to shut down. Everything will be totally different."
But there is a fine line that they walk. Part of the reason why Pacquiao has become a worldwide idol and a boxer that commands eight - not just seven - figure paydays is because of the extreme loyalty of his countrymen and fans. Pacquiao is one of them and he represents the Philippines with great honor and dignity. But there is a price to be paid for this magnitude of success and popularity. By shutting off all access to him, they risk alienating a large segment of his constituency. And don't forget, he still has political aspirations.
Efforts were made to make sure that Pacquiao could still connect with his people.
"What we did is three Saturdays are set up for Manny to do autographs and what it did was extend into an additional Saturday," explained Peters. "So we had four Saturdays that we've set up for Manny to sign autographs. I guess it's not really enough for the folks because they keep coming by; there's people here right now as we're talking and I'm going to have to ask them to leave."
About a half hour after this conversation, Peter verbally sparred with a particularly stubborn woman who simply didn't want to take no for an answer. As you drove away from the parking lot this past Thursday afternoon, you saw a congregation of Filipinos (that woman included) who made their way from the back parking lot - where they were shooed away by Peters - to the front area, where the tunnel leads into the entrance of a strip mall that precedes the Wild Card Boxing Club on the property, which includes Manny's favorite Thai restaurant, where he was filmed by TMZ recently. Perhaps there, they are free from the rule of Peters. One way or the other, they were going to catch a glimpse of their hero. But yeah, the Wild Card even has border wars now.
Peters says wearily, "The fact of the matter is, we just have to do the right thing for Manny. We gotta ask everybody to leave and we can't even let them stay on the property. It's aggravating to some people but we gotta do what's right for Manny."
As unpopular as it has been, it seems to be working. They claim there is no Golden Boy-hangover for Pacquiao.
"None whatsoever," stated Moorer, without hesitating. "I saw him hitting the heavy bag a couple of days ago and then I see him in that mode. And I feel it, when I see him get to that point and people who don't know boxing may not see it. Freddie sees it. I see it. You get into that and a lot of people don't understand that."
When asked about Pacquiao's work ethic and energy level, all Moorer says is, "Unbelievable. He's a machine."
It's been a productive training camp, says the lead trainer.
"He's really getting used to the 140 pounds. He's punching a lot harder, he's actually knocking guys out with one punch and Manny's more of a volume type of guy, usually. He's becoming a really good puncher at the weight. He's getting used to that strength he has at that weight and the speed. So it's great. I'm very happy where he's at."
Trainers like Roach live for big events like this. The excitement for this fight is building, but there is a part of Roach - and actually everyone else at the gym - that will be relieved come May 3rd. There hasn't been tension between just the Wild Card staff and overzealous fans, but within the staff itself leading up to this event. Everyone has at least a small case of 'Camp Pacquiao fatigue.'
"When Manny had his physicals last Wednesday and we didn't work out because he had all the medicals and the eye-test and all that, we closed for four hours anyway and didn't tell anybody," said Roach. "We just chilled out. We had a four hour vacation. Because Amir Khan comes in on Friday and he's going to start training for his fight. So after Manny's fight, we're right back at it."
The return of normalcy at the Wild Card will be welcomed.
"It feels like home again," says Spivey. "It feels like when Manny’s around, it's a big party. It's like having a million guests over in your house."
CONTRAST
Moorer was trained by both Roach and Teddy Atlas, who are at opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of demeanor and personality. I've always said that Roach is more the Walter Alston-type, Atlas, more or less a Bobby Knight. You kinda laugh as you think about how Atlas would handle all the distractions in the gym that accompany Pacquiao.
"You laugh about it, but it wouldn't happen, you know that," says Moorer, whose facial expression says it all when you ask him this question. "It would never happen. That's just the way he is. It's two different people, they have their own styles."
FIGHTING FIT
You may have noticed some members of the gym wearing Fightingfit.com t-shirts with the image of Roach on them. Just what is it?
“It’s an energy pill that I developed because fighters have trouble making weight and having energy. So I had a friend of mine develop a pill that curbs your appetite and it gives you an energy boost," explained the trainer. "I'm trying it, I've lost seven pounds so far. So it's working. It's something I thought would help my fighters."
JUST DO IT
Don't know if Nike has ever made shirts that featured a boxer before, but limited edition Nike Manny Pacquiao t-shirts are available at the Montalban Theatre (1615 Vine St., Hollywood) on April 25-26 and May 2-3.
Source: maxboxing.com
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