Lightweight Jamie Kavanagh (13-0-1, 5 KOs) has left the Wild Card gym in Los Angeles and is no longer being trained by Freddie Roach. The 22-year-old, who spent three years at the famous gym in Hollywood, has relocated to Indio, California and is now training with Joel Diaz.
“Freddie [Roach] can’t give me all his time. I need, at this point of my career, to be with someone who can,” Kavanagh told the Irish Voice on Sunday.
“Freddie hadn’t been with me for the last six fights. I needed to shake things up.”
Kavanagh voiced his concerns to his promoter, Golden Boy Promotions, and they helped to put him in touch with Diaz.
“I actually went to Golden Boy as I didn’t know where I was going to go, whether it was New York or what, and they gave me Joel’s number,” Kavanagh said.
Roach and Steve Feder remain Kavanagh’s co-managers, and the Dubliner went on to say that Feder had been to visit him and view his new set up. Kavanagh told the Voice that he spoke to Roach and explained why he was leaving, and the pair shook hands at the end.
Kavanagh had been contemplating making a change for some time with his long-time coach Sedano Ruiz, who is also making the move to Indio. Ruiz will continue to work with Kavanagh on day-to-day training as well as strength and conditioning, while Diaz will work with him on all things technical.
Kavanagh is set to return to ring action against Sergio Perez (27-14, 18 KOs) in an eight–rounder on June 8 at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California on the undercard of the Marcos Maidana and Josésito López welterweight fight.
Kavanagh has been working with his new trainer for the past two weeks. Diaz, a former professional fighter himself, is another high profile trainer who counts Timothy Bradley, Abner Mares, Julio Diaz (his brother) and Omar Figueroa among his fighters.
“I am happy with the work I am doing, and working with someone who is with me constantly means I can get some momentum,” he added.
If Kavanagh emerges victorious and unscathed on June 8, he could be lined up to fight again at the end of July. He believes that the next camp will give him and Diaz more time to gel together as they get used to one another.
As well as a change in trainer, Kavanagh has left the bright lights of Los Angeles for the more sedate pace of life in Indio. While he admits it is more tranquil at his new base, Kavanagh told the Irish Voice that he is in the U.S. to work, and be it Hollywood or Indio, he is still separated from his family.
In other news, middleweight Matthew Macklin (29-4, 20 KOs) has moved his training camp from Marbella, Spain to New York City as he prepares to fight WBA and IBO champion Gennady Golovkin (26-0, 23 KOs) on June 29 at the MGM Grand Theater at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut.
"I've had an excellent camp so far at my gym in Spain and this weekend we move camp to New York to finish preparations there to make sure I get acclimated in plenty of time for the fight,” said Macklin before flying over on Sunday.
Macklin is working with trainer Buddy McGirt at the Trinity Gym in the financial district, the same gym that served as his base when he prepared for his title fight against Sergio Martinez on St. Patrick’s Day 2012. The fighter is looking forward taking on the much-heralded Golovkin.
"I'm buzzing for the fight and think our styles will mesh perfectly. With someone like Sergio Martinez, because of his style and movement, it can be very hard to land cleanly on him and get your combinations off, and that's very frustrating,” Macklin said.
“With Golovkin, obviously he is very dangerous but he's in front of you and he's there to be hit. Everyone is talking about his power so I will have to deal with that, but don't forget he is going to have to deal with my power as well!"
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