Training Manny Pacquiao for the fight against Floyd Mayweather has saved me from suicide: Freddie Roach

Freddie Roach and Manny Pacquiao

Coach of Manny Pacquiao, Freddie Roach has revealed that training the Filipino boxer for his much anticipated fight against Floyd Mayweather has saved him from committing suicide. Roach is taking medication for Parkinson’s disease from the past 23 years and admitted that the medication gives him suicidal thoughts.

“I don’t get sick too often. When I’m sick, I just go to the gym and it goes away. With Parkinson’s, sometimes you wake up and think: ‘Why the f--- did they pick me?’ But, you know, that’s part of life. Some of the medications do cause depression and so forth and some mornings I’ll think about bad things. But then I’ll go to the gym and go to work and everything bad goes away,” he said in an interview to the Telegraph.

The doctor suggested Roach to see a psychologist. "I said, 'Doc, I'm just kidding. I might think about it but I would never hurt myself. I am not that brave."

Mayweather – Pacquioao take on each other on May 2 at the MGM Grand Garden arena in Las Vegas.

Roach added that helping Pacquiao for this fight is the perfect distraction for his illness. 

"I don't get sick too often. When I'm sick, I just go to the gym and it goes away," he said. "With Parkinson's, sometimes you wake up and think: 'Why the f— did they pick me?' But, you know, that's part of life.

"Some of the medications do cause depression and so forth and some mornings I'll think about bad things. But then I'll go to the gym and go to work and everything bad goes away."

Roach felt that Mayweather commits a lot of mistakes and that he would like to coach him in the future. “Manny has been a great part of my life. The best part about Manny is the kind of person he is. He’s just a nice person. I’ve seen him mad twice and he’s been mad at me once,” he concludes.