Freddie Roach said Georges St-Pierre told him he won’t fight again without him in his corner
MACAU -- Noted boxing trainer Freddie Roach has worked with UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre for several years on his boxing.
Roach, in Macau training Manny Pacquiao for a bout against Brandon Rios, told Yahoo Sports that he "pretty much came up with the game plan" that St-Pierre used when he retained his title in a highly controversial decision over Johny Hendricks Saturday in Las Vegas in the main event of UFC 167.
Roach said he has yet to speak to St-Pierre on the telephone, but said the champion texted him.
"He said, 'I'm not going to fight again unless you are in my corner,' Roach said. Asked to clarify if that meant on fight night, as well, Roach said, "Absolutely." To this point, Roach has never been in a UFC fighter's corner on the night of a fight.
Roach said his plan for St-Pierre was for St-Pierre to use his jab and inside hook to nullify Hendricks' powerful left. A normal left hook goes over the top of the opponent's jab, Roach said. The inside hook goes underneath it.
It's often hard to discern from a jab, but it has much more power. Roach said St-Pierre used the punch a lot to beat Josh Koscheck at UFC 124 in 2010.
"This guy [Hendricks], he doesn't know anything, he just punches good with a big left hand," Roach said. "Pretty much with him, if you can stay away from that and nullify that, it's not that tough of a fight. Georges did it, and he had success with it when he did, but he didn't do it enough in the fight."
Roach said if his boxing schedule permits, he would love to be in St-Pierre's corner for his next match.
