Freddie skips Moscow trip

Unable to secure a Russian visa from Hong Kong in time, boxing trainer Freddie Roach decided to leave the corner chores exclusively to his Filipino assistant Marvin Somodio who will work with three fighters in a big card in Luzhniki, Moscow, tomorrow night.

Roach intended to join Somodio and hoped to get his passport stamped with a visa from Hong Kong last Monday so he could board the first flight available to Moscow that day. But the visa processing time would’ve left Roach just a small window to make the long haul worth the effort. Besides, Roach had been away too long from home in Los Angeles for close to two months or since arriving in General Santos City to train Manny Pacquiao early last month and proceeding to Macau for the fight against Chris Algieri last Sunday.

It was Somodio who confirmed Roach’s decision to skip the Russian show in a message from Moscow. “Alanganin na sa oras at hindi na makapunta si Freddie,” said Somodio. “After Manny’s fight, we spoke on the phone. I congratulated him for Manny’s and (Zou) Shiming’s wins. We weren’t able to talk about Ruslan (Provodnikov) because I thought he would still be able to come to Moscow. When he arrives in Los Angeles, I’ll call him up.”

Roach worked three corners in Macau and of his wards, only Antonio DeMarco lost. DeMarco failed to wrest the WBA lightwelterweight crown from Jessie Vargas who won by a unanimous 12-round decision. “DeMarco had a slow start and wasn’t himself in the fight,” said Somodio who watched the bout on TV. “He wasn’t busy enough.”

Without Roach, Somodio will go it as chief cornerman in Provodnikov’s 12-round battle against Mexican veteran Jose Luis Castillo. He will be joined in the corner by Provodnikov’s manager Vadim Kornilov and assistant manager Andrey Napolskikh who used to be the Russian’s trainer.

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Somodio was also without Roach when Provodnikov halted Mike Alvarado in the 10th round to capture the WBO lightwelterweight crown in Denver in October last year. Roach couldn’t be in the corner as he was in General Santos City training Pacquiao for Brandon Rios. So it isn’t the first time that Provodnikov will be in Somodio’s hands.

Provodnikov hasn’t fought since losing a split 12-round decision to Algieri in New York last June. He’s hoping a convincing win over Castillo will put him back in championship contention. Castillo, 40, has won his last two outings by stoppage. After the Mexican bowed to Alfonso Gomez on a sixth round retirement in the undercard of Pacquiao’s fight against Joshua Clottey at the Cowboys Stadium in Texas in 2010, he seriously considered hanging up his gloves. But he decided to continue fighting and has since won six of eight, losing only twice on points. Castillo has met Floyd Mayweather twice and gave the Money Man serious trouble before dropping a pair of decisions. His durability is unquestioned but age may be a deteriorating factor. Castillo, a warrior, isn’t the type to back down so he’ll give as much as he takes in a slugfest. Provodnikov should be able to stop Castillo in the late rounds.

Aside from Provodnikov, Somodio will attend to Russian lightheavyweight Egor Mekhontsev who takes on Uganda’s Joey Vegas in an eight-rounder and 62-year-old actor Mickey Rourke who faces Elliot Seymour in his first fight since 1994.

Mekhontsev, 30, has performed twice in Macau and will make his first appearance in Russia as a pro. His record is 6-0 with 6 KOs. Vegas, 32, will be cannon fodder for the hometowner. He’s coming off a seventh round stoppage of Juma Iga, whoever he is, but had lost three previous bouts. Last June, Iga was in Russia to battle Dmitry Sukhotsky and lost a 12-round verdict. A busy campaigner, the Ugandan is fighting his third bout in the last three months. His record is 17-9-1, with 10 KOs. He’ll be lucky to last three rounds with Mekhontsev.

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An attraction in the card is Rourke who has a 6-0-2 record, with 4 KOs. He fought as a pro from 1991 to 1994 and is making a dramatic comeback after a 20-year layoff. Rourke is a regular customer at the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles. When he turned pro in 1991, Roach was in his corner. And when he decided to give up boxing and concentrate on his acting career in 1994, Rourke donated training equipment for Roach to use at the Wild Card Gym.

Rourke has been quoted as saying it’s a dream come true to fight in Russia. Maybe, he’s out to impress his Russian girlfriend Anastassija Makarenko, a model/actress who lives in Los Angeles. His fight against Seymour is set for five rounds. Seymour, 29, was only five years old when Rourke made his pro debut. The Californian shouldn’t be difficult for Rourke to pummel. His record is a lowly 1-9-1, with 1 KO, and he’s lost his last eight. Last month, Seymour was outpointed by Taif Harris in a four-rounder. All of Seymour’s 11 fights were scheduled for four.

Somodio is determined to pitch a shutout in Moscow, three wins in three fights. It’s his way of saying thanks to Roach for his trust and confidence. Somodio was denied a US visa twice before it was finally issued. He arrived in Los Angeles in 2012 and has since worked with Roach as his chief assistant at the Wild Card Gym. Somodio turns 31 today so a triple victory will be a fitting way to mark the celebration.