The Wild Card Gym is Freddie Roach’s home away from home. His boxing career began in 1978 and extended to 1986. In 1992 he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. He suspects that he developed Parkinson’s because his fighting style was to get into the ring and really rumble. Roach feels that his Parkinson’s is a result of trauma he suffered in the ring.

Now 47, Roach spends his days training boxers. Doctors think he is doing the best thing possible, which is to get a lot of exercise. He believes that symptoms of Parkinson’s is being kept at bay because of the hand-eye coordination needed to train the boxers. Not willing to give in to the disease, Roach intends to stay active.