A Wednesday confrontation between Freddie Roach, who trains Manny Pacquiao, and members of Brandon Rios' camp has raised the stakes for Saturday night's showdown in Macau, China.
The fight began when Roach aggressively told Robert Garcia, Rios' trainer, and members of his camp to leave the gym. Tempers flared, with Roach heard uttering slurs against Mexicans and Jews, and even getting kicked in the chest by Rios' strength trainer Alex Ariza.
Ariza had formerly been in Pacquiao's corner, but disagreements with Roach led to his ouster. Now, Roach says Pacquiao will be gunning hard for a knockout as a form of vengeance; during the fight Ariza can be heard mocking Roach's speech due to his Parkinson's disease.
"(Pacquiao) said to me, 'Are those the guys that made fun of you?' and I said yes, and he said, 'That's all I need to know,' and he walked away," Roach told the Associated Press. "He told me he's going to take care of this guy quickly."
Roach couldn't resist taking another shot at Ariza, telling reporters "What (Ariza) doesn't realize is that Manny hits me 10 times harder every day. It was like a girl kicking me."
Pacquiao and Roach have openly discussed the big possibilities in the future for Pacquiao should he KO Rios in impressive fashion. That attitude can only be bolstered by the high demand for Miguel Cotto following his decimation of Delvin Rodriguez in early October.
"He's hungry after the year off, he's anxious to get in the ring and he's anxious to show the world he's still an elite fighter," Roach said. "The best way to do that is to knock Brandon Rios out, we both know that, and I have stressed that to him."
Roach then said the added motivation will equal a shorter night for Rios. "Initially I didn't think the fight would go six rounds, and after the way he's worked out, I don't think it will go four."
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