ROACH ACCEPTS APOLOGIES
By Eddie Alinea
PhilBoxing.com
Fri, 12 Nov 2010
GRAPEVINE, Texas (via Pera Padala) ? All?s well that ends well.
With the latest controversy believed to have been settled, the road to the mega-bout between Manny Pacquiao and Antonio Margarito moves on.
Margarito said sorry. Ditto for trainer Robert Garcia and stablemate Brandon Rios.
Paquiao?s trainer Freddie Roach, the subject of a mocking incident perpetuated by the opposing camp, accepted their apology paving the way for the World Boxing Council junior-middleweight championship fight this Saturday to proceed.
?I accepted the apology so we can move on with the fight,? Roach told this writer in an interview during Wednesday?s press conference for the undercard at the convention center of the Gaylord Texan Resort Hotel.
?And the best of luck this weekend,? he added before hurrying to proceed to the Dallas Cowboys Stadium, site of the 12-round confrontation where Pacquiao will be eyeing an unprecedented eighth crown in as many divisions and Margarito seeking redemption for past sin that cost him his license to fight in California and several other State.
When asked how Saturday?s fight will go, Roach answered: "We're right where we want Manny to be, we're a hundred percent. Pacquiao ran for about 20 minutes this morning and will do around four rounds on the mitts with me, before we go through the game plan."
?Roach said he's not expecting a tough fight for Manny. "Margarito is not even close to Morales or Marquez or De la Hoya. We'll jump on him quick cause we know he's a slow starter. I do feel he'll quit along the way."
Earlier, during the presentation of fighters seeing action in the undercards, Brandon Rios of Oxnard, California, who will be opposing Omri Lowther in 10 rounds of the first televised bout spoke first.
?First of all, I want to get one thing off my chest. If Freddie Roach is out there, I?m, sorry,? he said. Things got heated up in the moment and I?m sorry.?
?It was between camps. It was a bad video from my behalf,? he added.
Top Rank?s big boss Bob Arum then introduced Margarito who, like Rios apologized to the Parkinson disease-infected Roach, saying he would never, never, would make fun of Roach.
??The video was edited,? Margarito said. ?The tape was edited.I was just arriving at the gym when someone said to me, ?Hey, Margarito, Freddie Roach says Manny Pacquiao is going to knock you out.? I said, ?Ooh, what fear!? and shook my hands.?
?I wish for the gentleman (Roach) to accept my apology if he was offended, he said adding he, too, apologized to anyone else he might have offended.
?If they were offended, I ask for forgiveness from all of those who have that disease,? Margarito said. ?Never, never, would I make fun of that disease.?
Garcia, for his part said he had just talked to Roach (by phone) for one minute. ?I told him, ?Freddie Roach, I want to tell you that I?m very sorry for what happened. Now that I am talking to you, I feel much better.??
All three said they want to move on.
Asked how Pacquiao reacted to the issue, Roach retorted: ?I will not let it get to Manny. He is smart and will stick to the game plan.?
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