Boxing trainer Freddie Roach: 'The gym saves me from depression'

Published: April 20 2015 | 10:59

Last updated: April 21 2015 | 21:32

Boxing trainer Freddie Roach, who suffers from Parkinson's disease, admits that working in the gym stops him from feeling depressed.

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Boxing trainer Freddie Roach has revealed that working in the gym prevents him from succumbing to 'dark thoughts'.

The 55-year-old, who currently coaches Manny Pacquiao, was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease 23 years ago.

Medication for the illness can cause depression, and Roach, who has coached Amir Khan in the past, has admitted that he finds it difficult at times to deal with his condition.

"I don't get sick too often," Roach told The Telegraph. "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 fuck 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 is currently training Pacquiao for his highly-anticipated bout against Floyd Mayweather Jr on May 2.