MANILA, Philippines?Freddie Roach, Manny Pacquiao?s pugnacious trainer, has denied beating up Gregorio Asuncion despite the claim to the contrary of the former member of Team Pacquiao.
Roach also brushed off Asuncion?s threat to sue him after the latter accused him and certain personnel of the trainer?s Wild Card gym of assault.
?I didn?t do it,? Roach told the Inquirer.
Sources inside Team Pacquiao also belied Asuncion?s allegations, saying the former Los Angeles County sheriff was seen ?hitting himself? outside the gym and that when police arrived, he ?appeared to have lost consciousness.?
For Team Pacquiao, the crucial thing is to make sure nothing disrupts the Filipino superstar?s training.
The same sources said the supposed incident never affected Pacquiao who is ?isolated and insulated? from it.
Pacquiao is in the middle of preparations for his fight against Oscar De La Hoya on Dec. 6 in Las Vegas.
Roach earlier ordered everybody, except for a handful of trainers who work on Pacquiao, to vacate gym premises during workouts.
Asuncion claimed he was assaulted by certain people when he accompanied Pacquiao?without permission, according to gym staffers?to the Wild Card Tuesday.
Even the media, like HBO cameramen, need to make appointment to film the training, according to Roach.
Meanwhile, photographs were splashed on the Internet showing Pacquiao training intensely and flexing his muscles on Thursday.
Pacquiao, according to philboxing.com, now sports ?power legs,? the result of his jogs around the hills of Los Angeles and of pylometric exercises.
