FREDDIE Roach is not about to take things sitting down especially if its concerns his fair-haired boy Manny Pacquiao.
The famed American trainer yesterday lashed back at Mexican legend Erik Morales for continuously bad mouthing the Filipino southpaw and coming up with excuses for his devastating 10th round technical knockout loss in their rematch six months ago in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Roach was really fuming that he told Fightnews that even though he respects Morales as a fighter, he doesn?t respect him as a person.
?He?s (Morales) a great fighter. But I don?t respect him as a person. I don?t respect anyone who tells me to sit the f-k down,? said Roach, recalling how Morales told him to `sit the f-k down and stop crying? while he was explaining at the post fight interview of their first meeting last year why Pacquiao lost the 12-round match by a unanimous decision.
?I don?t respect anyone who tells me to sit the f-k down.?
Pacquiao and Morales are slated to meet for the third time on Nov. 18 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, and the seething word war between Roach and the Mexican boxing icon is expected to generate even more interest in the third installment of this already blockbuster slugfest.
Roach took the offensive again after Morales accused him of ?grabbing the spotlight at the expense of his fighter (Pacquiao).?
Morales also denied having questioned the greatness of Pacquiao as a fighter.
But Roach said the three-time world champion from Tijuana, Mexico is a liar. He even alluded to Morales? manager Fernando Beltran as the one who instigated his ward to say those things.
?I don?t like when someone bad mouths my fighter. Manny is a good kid. He works hard and I stand behind him. I?m not going to sit back and be silent when Morales says things like `Manny sucks as a fighter and that he just had a bad night in their second fight,? Roach said.
The Hall-of-Fame trainer reminded Morales that it was Pacquiao who dealt him the most severe beating in his colorful 14-year career.
?Manny was the first fighter to ever knock him down?let alone knock him out. Obviously, Morales has a problem accepting that,? Roach said of Pacquiao?s sensational TKO victory, which he considers as the best win of his training career.
?I think Manny is the better fighter.?
As a parting shot, Roach wishes Morales and his camp ?good luck? on their third meeting since as he puts it, ?he gonna need it.?
?Morales better be ready come fight night because I don?t want to hear any more crying and excuses out of him or Beltran. I just wish Erik Morales good luck.?
