In case you missed it, we shared the video on Tuesday night of Antonio Margarito and Brandon Rios mocking Freddie Roach’s mannerisms (must check out the pics). Roach is Manny Pacquiao’s trainer and he developed Parkinson’s Disease following his boxing career. The video was pulled by the reporter who created it, but its message has not disappeared: Margarito and his crew are a bunch of childish idiots who lack respect and regard for others.
Needless to say, Freddie Roach was livid when word of the video got back to him. According to tweets by LA Times reporter Lance Pugmire (as relayed by Luke Thomas), “Freddie Roach says he’ll never again talk to Margarito and his camp based on their videotaped mocking of his Parkinson’s symptoms.” Here’s the money shot though, “Roach said it ‘shows the character’ on top of loaded-gloves scandal, and said, “don’t be surprised if this fight ends in the first round.”
Roach (and any sane-minded creature in the boxing community) already had something against Antonio Margarito for unethically loading up his gloves with plaster wraps. Now the stakes have been raised to an entirely different level since things have become personal. When Manny Pacquiao steps into the ring, he’s not fighting for himself, his fans, and a multi-million dollar paycheck; he will be fighting for the reputation of his respected trainer, Freddie Roach.
