Alex Ariza’s reprehensible action of kicking Freddie Roach and mocking his battle with Parkinson’s disease was not the first time that the trainer’s condition was used against him. Manny Pacquiao’s calm and forgiving reaction to the event was also not out of the ordinary.

Back in 2010, before Pacquiao’s attempt to be boxing’s only eight-division world champion, Antonio Margarito and Brandon Rios also took the low road by openly mocking Roach’s slurred and stuttering speech.

Roach was adamant in his belief that Margarito used loaded gloves for some of his fights, including his infamous 11th round technical knockout win over Miguel Cotto back in 2008.

Asked for his reaction about Roach’s claim, Margarito mocked the American trainer by shaking his head and laughing. Robert Garcia, who at that time trained Margarito, introduced Rios by saying “That’s Freddie Roach right there.” Rios responded by also shaking his head while saying “Manny Pacquiao” in an attempt to mock Roach’s physical condition.


"I'm not going to bother Manny Pacquiao with that. Manny doesn't hate anybody and so forth, but I do hate those guys," Roach said during the press conference to promote the Pacquiao-Margarito fight. Pacquiao’s reaction was silent reassurance to Roach.

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Margarito later apologized while Rios denied knowing that Roach had Parkinson’s disease. While asking for forgiveness from Roach is not something Ariza wants to do, Pacquiao has already forgiven him.

“I feel bad but the Lord said forgive as the Lord forgives you,” Pacquiao said after the fresh attack on Roach, still refusing to make the fight personal.

Pacquiao also displayed the same calm demeanor prior to his fight with Ricky Hatton. Before that fight, Roach and Floyd Mayweather, Sr. were also engaged in a heated war of words. All Pacquiao said was that the people will know who the better trainer was come fight night.

Against Margarito, Pacquiao had one of the best showings of his career as he easily outpointed his much bigger foe. He broke Margarito’s eye socket with an uppercut in the fourth round, an injury the Mexican never recovered from.

Against Hatton, Pacquiao scored the most dramatic knockout of his entire career. He floored Hatton twice in the first round; once with a right hook and once with a straight left, before putting him to sleep with a sledgehammer left.

By being involved in those two fights, Roach showed that he is good at mind games not only against the opposition but mind games with Pacquiao.

For Pacquiao’s upcoming fight against Rios, Roach hopes that his involvement will once against light a fire under his fighter’s belly that will lead to a terribly needed win.