Peter Manfredo Jr. is the first to admit that a large part of rising to the top of the boxing profession is cerebral.
Manfredo showed his smarts when he asked Sugar Ray Leonard to help him prepare for the biggest fight of his life, April 7 against super middleweight champion Joe Calzaghe in Cardiff, Wales.
No, Leonard is not actually Manfredo’s trainer, contrary to some reports. Rather, he was hired as a strategist because the former welterweight and middleweight great knows how to concoct a plan that will out-fox anyone. So Leonard says.
“I am not his trainer,” Leonard said Monday at Wild Card Gym in Hollywood, where Manfredo trains. “I can’t train. I don’t have the mentality to train. I don’t have the patience to train. But what I’ve done best throughout my career is be a strategist. I can implement or
design a strategy that I personally feel would be effective against anyone because I can break down opponents.
“I broke Hagler down, I broke Tommy Hearns down, I broke Roberto Duran down the second fight. It’s my ability. It’s my experience. I’ve known how to hit that weak area.”
Peter Manfredo Sr. has always trained and managed his son. But Manfredo Jr. had recently brought superstar trainer Freddie Roach into his corner (Roach owns Wild Card). Roach, however, had to beat feet to Puerto Rico to train Oscar De La Hoya for his May 5 mega
fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. So Manfredo Jr. was suddenly looking for some assistance.
The idea to bring in Leonard came from Jeff Wald, one of the producers of “The Contender.” Manfredo lost to Sergio Mora in the middleweight title fight in the reality show’s first season.
“Jeff Wald came to me and said, ‘I got an idea. What do you think about Sugar Ray Leonard working your corner?’ ” Manfredo said. “I said, ‘I don’t know, let’s try him out.’ ”
Leonard told the Manfredos right off the bat that he would not actually be training Peter Jr., but that he would come to his training sessions and then talk with Peter Sr. about the formula for beating Calzaghe.
Manfredo (26-3, 12 KOs) said that from the first time Leonard came to Wild Card, it has been a good fit.
“He came to the gym and he was on the same page with Freddie and my father was on the same page,” said Manfredo, 26. “I got Sugar Ray for his mind. That’s his talent. His mind. I mean, he’s not a trainer, as in he’s going to work mitts and things like that. But I
got him for his mind and his knowledge, someone like Freddie Roach.
“He is no Freddie Roach, by any means, but he’s fought in mega world title fights. He knows what it’s like. He knows what’s at stake.”
Then again, Roach was no Leonard in the ring. Roach never won a major title, Leonard won championships in five weight classes. And he accomplished all that in part because he was brilliant in the ring.
“He’s a legend,” Manfredo said. “I look up to him. So maybe it will make me perform a little better. Sugar Ray’s in my corner. I want to look good for Sugar Ray. I want to impress this guy.
“I think that’s what happened when I came to Freddie Roach. Roach has trained all these great guys. He’s a legend. Every time I get in there, it’s like I want to impress the guy.”
(For the record, Leonard will not actually be in Manfredo’s corner for the fight. But, he said he will be close by to provide advice.)
Leonard has talked and talked to Manfredo, giving him the benefit of how he worked his intelligence during the days he was taking on the likes of Hagler, Hearns and Duran, all of whom he beat at least once.
“Anybody can just get in there and throw punches,” Manfredo said. “But thinking wins fights, wins world championships. Thinking about what you gotta do, not showing frustration. He (Leonard) got me where I want to be for this fight.”
Some experts might say that Manfredo is not ready for someone like Calzaghe because he really hasn’t fought anyone close in talent to Calzaghe (42-0, 31 KOs). Not only does Leonard believe Manfredo is ready, he is hopeful that what he he brought to his own game will end up in Manfredo’s.
“The confidence, the motivation and those other intangibles and factors, will they rub off?” Leonard said. “I think they do rub off. I recall when I first had Angelo Dundee in my corner. That gave me additional confidence because of his credentials. Because that’s
Angelo Dundee.
“Does it always work? No. Peter Manfredo has to perform. He has to be at his best. He has to be on his ‘A’ game. He has got to be focused from round one to round 12. But any additional confidence or boost or belief that my presence brings to the table, that’s a
positive.”