PART 2-EXCLUSIVE REPORT-BOMBS OVER BAGUIO
When Manny Pacquiao's widely revered Coach Freddie Roach got to the Pinoy Idol's training camp in Baguio, his archrival Michael Koncz had a little surprise for him.
Most of the Pacman crew, including the fighter himself, were checked into the Cooyesan Hotel.
But, according to Pacman strength and conditioning guru Alex Ariza, there was no room at the inn for Roach.
Instead of bugging out and possibly upsetting the boxer, Roach accepted accommodations at the Manor Hotel.
"Koncz did that, he did that on purpose," Ariza told me Friday by telephone from the Cooyesan Hotel.
Ariza physically attacked Koncz in Pacquiao's suite when he discovered that the furtive Canadian agent-labeled only an "errand boy" by Ariza-was trying to change Pacman's mind and have him replaced in the corner on fight night with, guess who, Koncz.
Ariza said shifting Roach to the other hotel and keeping him at a physical distance from Manny was a typical Koncz move.
"It's all divide and conquer with this guy," the 35 year old native of Colombia told me.
Ariza said Roach was initially upset to discover he had no room reserved at the Cooyesan after the long flight from Los Angeles to Manila and then on to Baguio.
"Freddie was like, 'You've got to be fugging kidding me, I got no room here?'
"I went to the guy at the front desk and he was apologetic but he told me there was nothing he could because Koncz made the arrangements and that was it.
"It was a typical Koncz move. You just can't reason with this guy because he's always going behind your back."
Coach Freddie Roach was relegated to the Manor Hotel at Camp John Hay, Baguio
Like many others who have observed Koncz, Ariza feels that the agent has some mental problems in dealing with other people.
Roach's boxing credentials are beyond question. The ex-fighter is considered the premier trainer of his generation and is widely in demand.
For his own part, Ariza's resume is strong in boxing and with MMA athletes. He's worked for Diego Corrales, Amir Khan, Angel Manfredy among others.
Ariza is known as a "Roach guy" and he works seamlessly with the head trainer.
Ariza said his punchout of Koncz was a one off, that he usually gets along with everyone.
"I've never had a fight with any athlete, with any manager, with any trainer, with anybody but this guy is always trying to alienate people."
PART 3
EXCLUSIVE REPORT: BOMBS OVER BAGUIO AS PACQUIAO EXPLODES IN FIGHT
His strength, conditioning and nutrition guru Alex Ariza just jumped on his agent and go-fer Michael Koncz.
Manny Pacquiao's beefy bodyguards had to pull an enraged Ariza off the older man in the living room of the boxer's palatial suite at the Cooyesan Hotel in Baguio.
Ariza rained punches in the Canadian's grill when Koncz told Coach Alex "it's none of your fugging business" in reply to a question about why the backstabbing and occasionally frontstabbing agent was trying to persuade Megamanny to put him in his corner on fight night and remove the Freddie Roach assistant.
Ariza, 35, a young man with a solid background working with top level boxers and MMA athletes, told me Koncz has a history of messing him about.
"For the Ricky Hatton bout in May, Koncz made sure I didn't get the wristband necessary to get past security into Manny's locker room at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
"I had to go to (Top Rank president) Todd duBoef to get a wristband. Those are the kind of petty power games that Koncz likes to play."
So what effect does all this swirling dissension have on Pacman? Not much, it seems although sources other than Ariza told me that Manny sat Koncz down and told him in no uncertain terms to keep his nose out of boxing issues.
"Manny was quite firm with Michael this time," the source said. "Manny told him to only do what Manny tells him to do. But Michael seems to ignore these warnings because he then goes out and tries to sabotage everyone else. His real hatred is for Coach Roach as everyone knows."
I tried to get in touch with Pacman Friday night but a man at the front desk informed the fighter and his
Pacquiao Posse were unavailable because they were shooting hoops at the hotel's basketball court.
His strength coach jumps on his agent.
And Manny works on his jump shots.
PART FOUR
BOMBS OVER BAGUIO - MANNY PACQUIAO EXPLODES
There seems to be no end to people connected to Manny Pacquiao who complain about the machinations of furtive Canadian agent Michael Koncz.
Koncz tossed gasoline on the already burning fued between himself and Pacman trainer Coach Freddie Roach when he uttered the famous line, "Roach is just the trainer."
Now I've revealed how, according to strength and conditioning coach Alex Ariza, Koncz deliberately failed to reserve a room for Roach at the Cooyesan Hotel in Baguio where everyone except for the trainer is staying.
Ariza, of course, has had all he can stomach of Koncz trying to block like the Steelers offensive line and exploded on the agent's head with four or five rapid fire punches in Pacman's plush suite on Thursday. Beefy bodyguards saved the older man from a real beatdown by grabbing Ariza to stop the assault.
Now a well-placed American source who is privy to the swirling soap opera which surrounds Megamanny tells me, on the condition of anonymity, that Koncz's power grabs have spun completely out of control.
"Michael is like Hitler but without the charm and intelligence," the source said. "His power trip has become so pervasive that he has now irritated Manny's wife, Jinkee. He's got Jinkee tripping out and that cannot help Koncz in the long run.
"Michael wants Manny to dump his whole team, including his staff in Los Angeles, because he wants to create his own Team Pacquiao, a situation where everyone answers to him."
For the record, my repeated attempts to reach Koncz and get his side of the overall story and his side on the attack by Ariza have gone for naught.
I don't want anyone saying that Marley operates under "I distort and I decide."
You know my number, Agent Koncz, 917 853 4484.
"White Gorilla" operators are standing by