Ariza kicks Roach in gym scuffle in Macao

By Boxing News - 11/20/2013 - Comments

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By Chris Williams: A little scuffle broke out in Macao, China today between Brandon Rios’ strength and conditioning coach Alex Ariza and Manny Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach. The fight broke out after Roach arrived at the gym on Wednesday expecting to get Pacquiao ready for his workout. However, Rios’ trainer Robert Garcia and Ariza were both there finishing up the workout with Rios.

It was a little after 11:00 a.m, and Roach felt that they were encroaching on Pacquiao’s workout time, so he told them to leave the gym, and from there a big back and forth argument erupted. At one during the argument, Roach tried to walk up Ariza, who Roach had previously fired not long ago as Pacquiao’s S & C coach, and at that point Ariza gave Roach a kick to the chest.

Roach was then pulled away by the security staff and order was restored more or less. Ariza later said that he felt he was defending himself because he saw Roach cock his fist when he approached him following some angry words Ariza had said to him.

Ariza used pretty good form on a front kick with his right foot that appeared to land to the chest of Roach, catching him perfectly as he was coming forward. Instead of continuing with his forward movement, Roach backed off voluntarily as if he wasn’t expecting to be kicked. With Ariza heated the way he was, Roach probably should have thought twice about coming at him the way he did because it put Ariza on the defensive and reacted quickly with the front kick.

Roach insisted after the incident that the police be called so that he could report the incident to them. Roach said “I want security to take them away.”

Robert Garcia said afterwards “I ain’t disrespecting nobody and he calls me a piece of sh**. I never disrespected that man. I actually admire what he’s done in boxing.”

After the scuffle appeared to be about over, Roach started it up again by saying to Ariza “Come on tough guy. You’re like a girl kicking. Where’s security at. Arrest him.” Ariza then said “Come on, let’s go, right here.”

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