The Hall of Fame trainer thinks Ben Davidson gave Fury a poor strategy that lessened his chances of winning.
In the aftermath of Deontay Wilder vs. Tyson Fury, many things have been said about the fight, including some interesting tidbits from Freddie Roach.
Most have praised Fury as the unofficial winner due to him putting combinations together and outpointing Wilder. Others believe the two knockdowns he suffered definitively secured the victory for Wilder.
Now Roach, who served as Fury’s cut man for the fight, has given his take on the and it reveals his thoughts towards Fury’s young coach, Ben Davidson.
“I’m more of an offensive coach, I’m very aggressive, and I was a little bit disappointed with the corner work because Ben was telling him to feint and step back and I said to him ‘why are you telling him to step back? Let this guy fight. He can get rid of this guy’,” Roach said on Fox Sports’ Fair Game.
Roach joined the team of “The Gypsy King” towards the end of Fury’s training camp in California. The former fighter and legendary trainer is highly regarded for his strategic acumen, which helped Manny Pacquiao become an eight-division world champion.
“We haven’t spoken about it yet but we are going to have a meeting,” Roach said. “I think he was very safe. [He] said ‘don’t take chances’. I said wait a minute…don’t take chances? You’re in the boxing ring. You took a chance when you signed the contract for the fight.’
Roach continued saying that if Davidson would have followed a Roach tailored game plan, he believes that Fury would have won the fight.
“Yes, I do [had he been more offensive]. He hurt him a couple of times and I was disappointed he didn’t get a chance to finish him.”
Changing of The Guard
Fury has always expressed extreme confidence in Davidson. He is credited with transforming Fury from an addict back to a professional athlete. With his weight down, the 6-foot-9 star had the footwork of a dancer and the hands of a welterweight.
As boxing changes and new stars are being created daily, so too are the trainers.
Is Roach just part of the old guard fighting to stay relevant by overly criticizing the new regime?
Only time will tell. But telegraphing your thoughts in the media at the expense of team-building probably wasn’t the best idea.
