ARUM ON ROACH SUING ARIZA
By Eddie Alinea
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 23 Nov 2013
MACAU, China ? ?Good!?
This was the immediate reaction of Hall of Fame promoter and Top Rank bossman Bob Arum when informed that Manny Pacquiao?s chief trainer Freddie Roach plans to seek legal redress against conditioning coach Alex Ariza for the latter?s assault on the former in last Wednesday?s ugly confrontation at the practice gym of The Venetian Macau Resort Hotel here.
Arum, in an interview, told this writer the incident, which happened last Wednesday that saw Ariza kicked Roach at the height of verbal and physical altercation between members of Team Pacquiao and Team Rios is, in the long run, bad for boxing.
?The incident might looked good for the fight because of the impact it can create as far as pay-per-view and ticket sales are concerned, but it can also spell trouble in our desire to foster friendly relations with China through boxing,? Arum said.
?China and, for that matter, the Chinese are still not familiar to the sport of boxing so that they, too, are not used to what boxing is all about,? he said. ?Violent incidents such as this are not what boxing needs at a time when we are still introducing the sport in this part of the world.?
?Had the incident happened in the U.S., well, the Americans could consider that as part of the game,? but here, it?s against Chinese culture,? Arum, a lawyer, reasoned out.
Arum welcomed Roach?s decision to seek intervention of the court even as he said that he and the entity he represents doesn?t have the power to even sanction Ariza and those concerned.
?We just don?t have the power and authority to punish those who would be found guilty of acts of violence outside of the ring, he explained. ? Not even WBO, WBC or any sanctioning body in boxing. Freddie would be doing the right thing by going to court.?
Asked how the ppv sales are going, Arum declined to comment except to say ?it?s too early to talk about that. Maybe you can ask me tomorrow.?
Ticket sales though is ?doing great. All seats (at the Cotai Arena inside the Venetian Macau Resort Hotel) are practically taken.?
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Eddie Alinea.
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