“Freddie knows my style from when I was there before and he’s adding to it,” said Martirosyan (23-0, 14 knockouts), who went 17-0 with 11 KOs in his first stint under the tutelage of Roach, which ended in Dec. 2007. “[There’s] a few things that I’ve changed. Freddie’s trying to get me to get on my toes again, work my jab and move around a little bit — don’t just stand there and be a target for my opponent.”
Martirosyan’s return to the Wild Card Boxing Club in late February coincided with the training camp for Roach’s most high-profile client, Manny Pacquiao, in preparation for his May 2 fight against Ricky Hatton.
Martirosyan, 23, said he trained with World Boxing Hall of Famer Roach concurrently along side Pacquiao and is being molded by Roach to fight in the same lightning-quick, hit-and-move style as the 30-year old light welterweight superstar, who destroyed Hatton in the second round to further secure the mantle of best pound-for-pound fighter in the sport.
“When you see Pacquiao fight and how explosive he is, that’s what Freddie tries to get us to do,” said Martirosyan, who represented the United States in the 2004 Olympics before turning pro. “You learn from the best and see what he’s doing and you look up to somebody like that.”
Martirosyan said that he’s gotten plenty of hands-on attention from the sought-after Roach and his chief assistant trainer, former heavyweight world champion Michael Moorer, leading up to this fight.
“Everybody’s on the same page, it’s a team [effort],” he said. “Everything’s been working really good.”
