About eight months ago I spoke with professional boxer and Contender alumnus Peter Manfredo, Jr. about his recent trip to Cardiff, Wales. He had gone across the sea to face the undefeated Joe Calzaghe on his home turf for the WBO Super Middleweight Title. Manfredo had high expectations for his fight, but instead faced some big disappointments.

To begin with, he lost the fight due to what many feel was an early stoppage in the third round. But what hurt the most was that his trainer, Freddie Roach, stayed behind to stand in the corner of Oscar De La Hoya for his title bout, leaving Peter with bitter feelings. “I don’t have much feeling for Freddie right now,” he told me back then. “My decision right now is that I don’t want to go back to him.”

Peter at Wild Card. Photo by Linda Peterson

Fast forward to the present. Linda Peterson (camera in hand) and I are standing in the Wild Card Boxing Club, owned by Freddie Roach, talking with Manfredo. We had just watched Peter spar in preparation for his December 8^th fight with Jeff Lacy, a fight that is part of the undercard for the Floyd Mayweather/Ricky Hatton battle. And who was standing in his corner accompanied by Peter’s father, Peter Manfredo, Sr.? Freddie Roach! Just how long has that been?

“I arrived here on November the 4^th. Working with Freddie, he’s the best. He gets me right. I need to be away from my family, and I have to get my mind focused on what I have to do. Being with Freddie, it’s night and day.”

I reminded him of how abandoned he felt in Wales. “You know, I can’t blame the guy. You got a million dollars to work with one of the best fighters in the world, maybe of all time. I would have probably done the same thing if I were him; he had to take the opportunity. It was just a bad time in my spot.

“Come to think of it,” he continued, “I wasn’t going to win that fight out there anyway. They picked me as a stepping-stone for a big money fight, and they kind of just used me and gave me a little money, so…it was a learning experience. I have to move on, and that’s why I’m back here.”

While Lacy is a tough opponent to be sure, Manfredo, Jr. feels that it is a winnable fight for him. “He has problems with movers, and people who box him, and I’m a pretty good boxer and I have a good style; I think I can beat him. I’m not a one-punch knockout artist like he is. He can knock me out with either hand at any time during the fight. I have to be really smart, that’s why I’m here with Freddie.

“I have the confidence in him that if I do get in trouble during the fight I know I’m going to come back to the corner and he’s going to help me survive and tell me what I have to do to win. So there’s a lot of confidence and knowledge in my corner where I know I can pull this fight out.”

What a big boost that would be for Peter, and it would lead up to bigger and better fights. I would have thought that victory in a title fight would be the goal, but that is not the case. “I do this to put food on my family’s table. That’s why I do this. I don’t care about being a World Champion – There’s so many World Champions, they come and go. What does it mean? It’s a belt to hang on your wall someday. I worry about putting my kids through college and investing my money in the right way.”

Peter is married with three children, a five-year-old, a two-year-old, and a five-month-old. “If I had all the money in the world I would never do this. I want to be able to speak to my kids. This is a very tough way to make a living, but this is all I know how to do.”

He joked that, “I don’t know how to sing, I can’t dance, and I’m in Hollywood and I can’t act. I’ve got to fight.

“That’s why this is a big fight for me. I win this fight and I’m in line for another major money fight, and then, who knows? Another year or two and I’ll be out of this game. Get out of here with all my marbles. I’m very happy where I am in my career right now.”

I thanked Peter for spending some time after his training, and he was quite appreciative. “Listen, I fight for my fans. This is what people forget in this game. If it weren’t for you I wouldn’t make any money. You’re the reason I make money, so you have to respect the people. If nobody came, who am I going to fight in front of?”

So, thanks to Peter, Freddie, and everyone else at the Wild Card for making our visit a success.

I can’t wait to watch this entire card on Saturday. I will have my cell phone in hand during Peter’s fight. I told him I would call as soon as he won to congratulate him. Am I being too optimistic? Nah. As everyone keeps saying – this is boxing.

Be safe and God Bless,

Viva La Raza,

Barb.