Wild Card Gym

[HardasNAILZ]

WOW! Some real foul smelling bullshit on this thread....

 

[opie]

@opie sorry if I have the wrong guy but I think he used to train or knows a lot about WC and the goings on there. Maybe he can help if I'm thinking of the right guy.

Have a great time, bud. Just getting to visit a legendary gym like that is enough to scratch one off the boxing bucket list for us fans.

ive been there a few times back when i used to train (10-ish years ago... im fat and ride a desk now; never had any talent to begin with).

it isnt really a place to train if you visit. everyone brings their own coaches and you have 4 groups in the ring at a time (sparring/hitting mitts). not a lot of bags (like 3 or 4 if i remember right). super fucking hot (no ac).

you could go just to say you went, but it is def not a tourist spot. tuesday sparring used to be when all the other people from other gyms showed up, but it was super serious (people trying to be somebody; lots of people getting their ass beat).

bring cash and have one of the trainers hold the mitts for a few rounds if you go.

 

[mozfonky]

I don't have anything against Roach he is a good offensive trainer, but the man gets so much praise because he trained Pacquiao and started getting shine and let it go to his head. He is just very good at public image and always using his parkinsons so people dont attack him, but he really has a mean streak, he even said he has a bit of his father in him and his father was a cold blooded heartless man.

Roach also did Michael Moorer wrong, he brought him in for the Pacquiao Hatton fight, and Pac learned more from fellow southpaw Moorer than he ever did under roach it was Moorer who devised the plan for the left hook roll under that Pac used several times with Hatton and the right hand feint to set up the left straight as Hatton rushed in

Roach got jealous, fired Moorer claiming the gym members got sick of him charging them one dollar everytime they leaned on the counter, the truth is Moorer was getting very close with Manny, he also got jealous of Ariza when people were praising him and Ariza and Manny were close as well he bought Ariza a matching Rolex and a MAserati and let Ariza and his wife stay at his home in the Philippines, Roach got jealous and made a comment that Manny never invited him to stay at his home, and he didn't like how Ariza was getting credit for Pacmans physical rise, he even slandered him and ruined Pacs image by saying I dont know what Ariza gives him in those shakes ever since that people were saying Ariza was giving Pac peds in his shakes, Roach does a lot of harm when he is in spite mode he wants all the accolades and all the glory

he also made up the story about how he met Pacquiao he gave it a storybook feel.

He wasn't the trainer, he just allowed them to train at wild card, Roach made it like a hollywod movie, Roach just let Pacman train at wild card and assigned Manny to Lenny De Jesus, Lenny had to work the corner as a cutman in Germany for a fight so Roach did Lenny a favor and cornered Pacquiao for the Ledwaba fight, Pac had two weeks notice, it wasn't until after that fight that Roach felt dam this guy is the real deal and basically stole him away from De Jesus.

Another thing, Roach never had confidence on Pac going into the Barrera fight, he claims he put money on Pac since Pac was a 15 to 1 underdog.

I believe that was the fight he was threatening to leave or did leave before training camp he had a beef with Murad Muhammad but , the only reason Roach came back to train Pacman is because Murad and Pacs manager were going to get Floyd Mayweather Sr or Roger to train him now, and Roach hates the Mayweathers so bad that he rather train Manny then let them train him so he just opted to continue to train him even though he had beef with Murad.

Also when Roach claimed he stuck up for Manny with Murad it snot true, Roach was mad that his cut was so small because Murad was underpaying Manny it had nothing to do with roach trying to look out for Manny, Roach made a quote saying how can I survive I have gym to pay for when it was found out Pacman wasn't getting the full 1. 5 million to 500k he was guaranteed for his fights under Murad.

damn you got your hate on. roach comes across totally different but I learned a long time ago, you can't read a person based on their demeanor. those kinds of machinations are rife in the fight world and most fighters aren't smart enough to deal with it. Who knows how many fighters have been ruined over bullshit, no one knows but it was a lot.

 

[makedansure]

@Pugilistic

Best time for the photo op is either early in the morning, or in the evening near 7pm. Gets busy 8:00am- mid morning, and FR usually is training with his pros downstairs. Cotto won't be there since he doesn't have a fight coming up. In my experience, FR is more than willing to talk and take a photo.

If you're lucky, you can usually get a view of the downstairs gym. FR has been nothing but pleasant in the 5 or so years I've seen him, but then again I know him in a very limited capacity. Boxing is a shady business, and you can believe who you choose to believe. I'm only telling you what I've experienced, as I have no insider info or background on what's been posted.

$5 a day to train. Just be respectful, don't try to sneak photos or videos. Ask permission to take photos and you should be fine. Regardless of anything, he's a legend and has the most accessible notable gym in the world. Great to hear that Floyd's gym is a welcoming place as well.

I feel like every other time I'm there, there are "fanboys" showing up to take photos. Parking is shite, and don't be too put off by anyone. The other people are fairly pleasant, but nothing will stop you from walking in that front door and saying hello to FR.

 

[makedansure]

As far as other gyms... not really. Fortune's gym looks pretty great, also located in Hollywood. A lot cleaner from what I've seen. Beware, the single restroom in the WC can get pretty filthy. If you're into boxing yourself, another notable place to stop by would be Winning USA in Redondo beach. Usually have to call Kazumichi beforehand to make sure he's available. Just to see the photos on his wall, and speak with the man is an experience. Kaz tells me he was Tyson's sitter for his fights in Tokyo - he was the official boxing photographer for the Japanese government at some point.

Many pro's do their media days at Wild Card West. Not really open to the public, owned by Peter Berg (friend of FR and the one who directed the HBO series on FR), but that gym is very different from the Wildcard.

 

[mozfonky]

tyson's babysitter huh, well he did a terrible job, tyson was porking japanese women like they were going out of style.

 

[makedansure]

@mozfonky
I mean if we're going based off of what we're all hearing, Kaz actually addressed what you said before I even brought up Tyson. He basically said it was all bull, excuses made by the Tyson camp. Kaz says that Tyson may have not taken his Douglass seriously but he trained and went through the motions. Then again, the super manly alpha man excuse that he expended his energy endlessly fornicating with all of the exotic women sounds way cooler for all us men that love to make excuses for Tyson. Trust me, I want to believe that.

Then again, maybe Kaz was a horrible babysitter.

 

[mozfonky]

it was said sarcastically, it was tyson's responsibility to come ready. Someone with that star power would have no trouble getting poon anywhere in the world. Mike was in no shape mentally or physically for a tough fight. One of the pities of a star fighter is, they don't want to listen to no one. Ali fucked a lot too and didn't trtain right. the old days where trainers had total control had some upsides.

 

[TidWell]

As far as other gyms... not really. Fortune's gym looks pretty great, also located in Hollywood. A lot cleaner from what I've seen. Beware, the single restroom in the WC can get pretty filthy. If you're into boxing yourself, another notable place to stop by would be Winning USA in Redondo beach. Usually have to call Kazumichi beforehand to make sure he's available. Just to see the photos on his wall, and speak with the man is an experience. Kaz tells me he was Tyson's sitter for his fights in Tokyo - he was the official boxing photographer for the Japanese government at some point.

Many pro's do their media days at Wild Card West. Not really open to the public, owned by Peter Berg (friend of FR and the one who directed the HBO series on FR), but that gym is very different from the Wildcard.

i thought you trained at Box n Burn in santa monica?

I have never heard of the boxing gym Winning USA in Redondo beach isnt that a store selling winning gloves? so its a gym?

I had a friend who trained out of Wild card and another who trained at Maywood he used to train with Ponce de leon and even Edwin Valero back in the day.

 

[Lots]

i thought you trained at Box n Burn in santa monica?

I have never heard of the boxing gym Winning USA in Redondo beach isnt that a store selling winning gloves? so its a gym?

I had a friend who trained out of Wild card and another who trained at Maywood he used to train with Ponce de leon and even Edwin Valero back in the day.

Nah dude winning is just a store. You have to make an appointment with kazamichi to go in.

He’s a crazy senile old Japanese man who literally trolls his customers. If you call him and ask for something he’ll say “why you want winning brand? It’s too expensive. I used everlast “

I’ve seen him yell at people over the phone over their “tone”

For everyone who purchases something he’ll write down their name and story and make them take a picture with his little old handicap wife.

He’s a trip. It’s exhausting to deal with but kinda funny.

 

[mozfonky]

jesus, never heard of this kimichi guy, sounds like a character. how old is he ? my japanese mentor is 94 and still teaches even though he's supposedly has advanced dementia. I don't talk to him anymore, i actually saw him in chinatown here a couple weeks ago for the first time in over 15 years. It's a trip, today i had a customer with a Bruce Lee shirt on and I told him the truth "his best friend was my mentor" god, it sounds crazy when i think of it. And who knows if the guy believed me. I wished things could have worked out better between us.

 

[TidWell]

Nah dude winning is just a store. You have to make an appointment with kazamichi to go in.

He’s a crazy senile old Japanese man who literally trolls his customers. If you call him and ask for something he’ll say “why you want winning brand? It’s too expensive. I used everlast “

I’ve seen him yell at people over the phone over their “tone”

For everyone who purchases something he’ll write down their name and story and make them take a picture with his little old handicap wife.

He’s a trip. It’s exhausting to deal with but kinda funny.

Lol i just looked him up and he has all these pics with fans and him, the dude seems like a loon, how does he make money if he is trolling people, sounds like a character someone needs to interview him

 

[makedansure]

@TidWell
never been to box n burn, I think you're confusing me with someone else. Never meant to say that Winning USA was a gym, just a cool spot with a guy with a lot of knowledge and history.

@Lots
I can confirm that kaz can be a very colorful figure. He is very old, and definitely has the luxury of making it a bit of a process to get the equipment.

regardless, he has a lot of history with boxing, and if you have time it can be a cool experience. Went to lunch with him before, maybe I just have a high tolerance for the older folks.

 

[FightGuyOpenMind]

Not sure where to put this other than the stand up forum but I thought the boxing forum would be a better place.

Anyway, I'm going on a trip to the US (California) next week and I very much want to visit the Wild Card gym in LA. I would love to get a photo with Freddy Roach or some other boxers. Maybe if I'm lucky I could catch Cotto which would be so fucking awesome.

The question is, do you guys know if it's acceptable for fan boys like me to just show up and take a look around? If I imagine myself in a famous person's shoes, I would be annoyed if people showed up to ask me for photos or autographs.

On another note, are there other gyms of famous fighters/trainers in the area?

Guys who post on YouTube get in there, and video tape for their channels. Gyms like that are generally open to the public. If you're concerned perhaps get their number, and give them a call to see if it's okay.

It would be awesome to meet Cotto but he's a retired fighter. He may not be hanging around the gym at this point. However, he might be. I went to James Toney's home gym, and have run into and spoken to him several times. He was open to photos. I think for the most part it is flattering to them, and also it promotes their brand by increasing their fanbase.

Perhaps check the upcoming fight schedule for their gym. Sometimes high profile fighters will have the gym reserved for them, and their training camp. This limits if not completely restricts access to everyone else. A local pro fighter had the gym closed for a week to the public so he could train for his fight.

 

[Pugilistic]

So I stopped by Wild Card in the morning on Tuesday and talked to Freddy as well getting a picture with him. Whatever he may be like in business or in private or whatever, he was very approachable and friendly to me. As I walked up the stairs to the gym, I could hear Freddy's voice and I got nervous. When I went in a guy who works there (didn't get his name) asked me what's up and I told him I'm just a tourist and I wanted to see the gym and Freddy asked if that's okay. He said it's fine and I can talk to Freddy whenever. I waited until he was done talking to this guy who was training. I was embarrassed because I felt like such a fanboy but I guess they are used to people coming in to ask for pictures and whatnot. I told Freddy about my boxing experience and he asked me about me and boxing in Korea.

I really wished I had more of conversation with him but I didn't know what to say to him. It was probably the first time in my life I was star struck. I didn't know what else to do or say so I watched people hit the bags and stuff. Saw a couple guys sparring. Freddy said his pro fighters were going to come in to train in an hour. I wasn't sure if that was a sign for me to get the fuck out but I thanked him and left. Would have loved to see the pro fighters train too. I saw quite a few women who were there training.