Alex Ariza Apologizes To Those With Parkinson’s But Takes Nothing Back From Roach Altercation

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    When Freddie Roach angrily approached Robert Garcia in the gym that was being shared by both the Rios camp and the Pacquiao camp  Alex Ariza had a close eye on Roach. Knowing Roach from having worked with him for the past six years and seeing how distraught Roach was and with the bad blood between Ariza and Roach one would speculate that something was going to occur.

    Roach taunted Ariza wanting Ariza to physically remove him from the building and while Roach was making racial slurs Ariza was mocking Roach for his condition.

    Later on Ariza would make a statement to apologize for his actions. He stated that it was meant to taunt Roach and not target a certain group of people that have a medical disorder.

    “I can only take responsibility for what I did,” said Ariza. “There’s nothing I can say. It was the heat of the moment. I said what I said. I can’t take it back. I didn’t mean it towards a specific group. I am not making an excuse and it’s not right but I said it and there is nothing I can do. I apologize for it if I offended some of the people and if i hurt them. That is the last thing I wanted to do but my aggression, my anger was obviously geared towards Freddie and the way he approached Robert. This is my team now.”

    Ariza has spoken out about Roach in the past before but never in the fashion that he did when they were face to face. Ariza regrets going as far as he did but states that it was not the first time he hear Roach disrespect Mexicans.

    “I regret the way that I behaved for short because I am an educated person. I am smart and that is not how I should behave. Things escalated too when I heard fucking Mexican. I’m a Latin as well and I heard him call you (Elie Seckbach) a fucking Jew and I have seen this kind of behavior from him before in the past. I’ve been in the gym over there for six years and all the fights with Marquez…It’s just whatever he says. He hides behind the Parkinson’s and stuff. He used to say fucking Mexican about Marquez and that he hated those fucking Mexicans about Memo and stuff like that not knowing that I was standing right there.”

    Though Ariza does apologize for making fun of the condition Roach suffers, he does not take anything back from what happened between he and Freddie.

    “It is what it is. I said it. I can’t take it back. I’m sorry but as far as me and Freddie go, I did what I did and I don’t take any of that back.”