MANILA, Philippines – Former Team Pacquiao member Alex Ariza took full responsibility for his role in the scuffle that occurred between trainer Freddie Roach and members of Brandon Rios’ team.
At the same time, he also accused the Hall-of-Fame trainer of hiding behind his illness.
Roach, the chief trainer of Manny Pacquiao who suffers from Parkinson’s disease, confronted Rios’ trainer, Robert Garcia, at a gym in Macau on Wednesday. The two wound up exchanging words, and Ariza eventually got involved.
A former strength and conditioning coach of Pacquiao, Ariza wound up kicking Roach in the chest and exchanging insults with him. The two were eventually separated, but Ariza was caught on video mocking Roach’s Parkinson’s and mimicking his stutter.
“I take responsibility for what I did 100%,” Ariza told Boxing Scene the next day. “I know what I said, and I know what I did. I can’t take it back. It was at the heat of the moment.”
Ariza reiterated what he had said in interviews following the incident – that he had acted in self-defense.
“I did what I did because he accosted me, he got close. I know Freddie Roach for six years, and I know he has a tendency to be aggressive. If he did it again, I’d do it again, too,” he said.
“There’s one thing that anger brings out, is the truth,” he added. “He (Roach) hides behind that whole Parkinson’s gig, not to demean Parkinson’s. He feels very threatened.”
“People gave me a lot of credit for Manny’s rise. It’s sad. It’s transparent. He’s at the end of the road, and this is his way of trying to hang on to what popularity he has,” Ariza said.
Roach fired Ariza from Team Pacquiao earlier this year, and the strength and conditioning trainer was subsequently hired by Garcia to work with Rios.
Pacquiao, who was not at the scene at the time of the altercation, called for calm when asked about the issue at a press conference.
“No trash-talking before the fight,” he said. “It’s not a good example for those who follow boxing.”
source: www.abs-cbnnews.com
