DALLAS, Texas — The build up to Manny Pacquiao's WBC world title fight took a sad and distasteful twist when a video surfaced showing Antonio Margarito mocking legendary boxing trainer Freddie Roach.
The video, which was shot several weeks ago and appeared Wednesday on YouTube, shows Margarito's camp making fun of Roach - who suffers from Parkinson's disease which causes him to shake uncontrollably at times.
Margarito is seen shaking his hands and speaking with a tremor. Boxer Brandon Rios, who is on the undercard of Saturday's World Boxing Council super welterweight title fight between Pacquiao and Margarito, is also shown shaking his body and making fun of Roach in the video.
Margarito's trainer, Robert Garcia, is seen pointing at Rios and saying "that's Freddie Roach right there."With Roach and Pacquiao sitting just a few feet away, Garcia took the podium at Wednesday's news conference at Cowboys Stadium and issued a half-hearted apology saying that no one in the Margarito camp knew that Roach suffered from Parkinson's
.
."This was nothing personal. Nothing to do with his disease," Garcia said. "I apologize for people who think we are making fun of people with that disease."
After the news conference ended Garcia admitted his fighters were mocking Roach.
"These guys were just going back at Freddie," Garcia said. "They were making fun of Freddie Roach but nothing to do with the disease."
Roach isn't buying the apology and has vowed to ban Garcia from his Wild Card gym in Hollywood.
"(Garcia) certainly didn't apologize." Roach said Wednesday. "There was no apology. It is unreal that they said they didn't know I have Parkinson's. Everyone in the world knows I have Parkinson's.
"He is trying to cover it up. I won't speak to him ever in my life."
Roach said Mexico's Margarito (38-6, 27 KOs) and American Rios (25-0-1, 18 KOs) should watch what they say because he believes he got the disease as a result of his own boxing career.
"The thing is that this is something that boxers can obtain because it is trauma related," Roach said. "They (Margarito and Rios) are in the sport and they both don't have good defences. I just hope it doesn't happen to them the way I have to live my life.
"Even though they are just making fun. They think it is funny right now and so forth. Brandon Rios is like a 2-year-old kid. He is like a child. He has the mind of a baby. He is not even a world champion. Don't talk (expletive) until you can beat my guys."
The effects of the disease on Roach were evident Wednesday at Cowboys Stadium as he spoke with reporters. He said he "doubled up" on his medication Wednesday morning "so I wouldn't shake as much but it is not working."
"At one time I thought Margarito was a pretty good guy. I don't think he is a good guy. I do hate those guys," Roach said.
Garcia said he admires Roach's work as a trainer but with the fight so close he now considers Roach an "enemy".
Garcia said he didn't know about the Parkinson's disease until someone told him Wednesday. He added he won't apologize face-to-face until after Saturday's fight.
Told Roach has vowed to never speak to him again, Garcia said, "that is his business.
"I apologize for what my fighters did. After the fight I am going to do it. But right now we are enemies because we got two fighters and I want to win the fight and he wants to win.
"Win or lose I am going to go up to Freddie Roach and apologize.
"We been to his gym to spar and right away he has sparring partners lined up for us. I am always going to respect him. I admire the work he has done with Manny Pacquiao."
The mocking incident is another blow to Margarito's already tarnished reputation.
On Saturday, the former world champion will step into the ring for the first time in the United States since he was slapped with a one-year suspension for using illegal hand wraps against Shane Mosley.
Filipino superstar Pacquiao (51-3-2, 38 KOs) has asked officials to allow him to send an extra person from his camp into Margarito's dressing room prior to the Dallas fight to observe the taping.
Margarito did not refer to the mocking incident when he took the microphone Wednesday.
Pacquiao said Wednesday that he has not seen the video but found the idea of it distasteful.
"For me it is not good," Pacquiao said. "We have to respect people. I am kind of person that doesn't like people talking about the personal lives of others."
Roach, who has been known to go after other trainers during weigh-ins and news conferences said he didn't confront Garcia Wednesday for Pacquiao's sake.
"I am doing it (staying calm) for (Pacquiao)," Roach said. "We've got a big fight coming up and I can't get excited. He can't get excited."
Copyright © 2010 AFP. All rights reserved.
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