by Nick Giongco
Macau—Top trainers Freddie Roach and Robert Garcia have—apparently—patched things up.
The two have met and Roach said Garcia came short of apologizing for what happened last Wednesday when they engaged in a shouting match over the use of the gym facilities.
Roach and Garcia didn’t actually slug it out but it was conditioning coach Alex Ariza, who is now with Brandon Rios, who figured in an altercation with the Hall of Fame trainer.
Ariza, who was fired from Team Pacquiao last August, kicked Roach in the chest during the fracas.
“He came to me and said ‘I’m sorry’ for what had happened,” said Roach.
“He (Garcia) was nice and we’re both cordial. We wish it didn’t happen. But you know, he really wasn’t part of the altercation. He just got a little hot-speaking but he didn’t kick me. Someone else did.”
Roach said he will personally watch the hand-wrapping of Rios even though he is also tasked to prepare Chinese Olympic legend Zou Shiming, another talent seeing action in the undercard.
Roach is supposed to be in Shiming’s corner but if the schedule doesn’t allow him to call the shots, he will assign training assistant Marvin Somodia, a Filipino, to preside over Shiming’s corner.
“My priority is Manny,” added Roach.