Freddie Roach growing increasingly frustrated with Team Pacquiao

The developing feud between trainer Freddie Roach and Manny Pacquiao adviser Michael Koncz is getting pretty ugly, and could be headed for pure disaster.

Roach spoke with the Asian Journal's Joseph Pimentel, and his words weren't kind to say the least.

"Every time I call Manny's number, Mike Koncz answers the phone and I [ask] Mike, ‘Where are we training?' He said, ‘I haven't asked Manny yet.' I said, ‘Well, don't you think you should ask him? Let's get something straight here so we know which direction we're going.'"

"I'm a little pissed off to be honest with you [about] the lack of communication."

Roach is very concerned with Miguel Cotto as an opponent for Pacquiao, which is nothing like Roach prior to Manny's last two fights with Oscar de la Hoya and Ricky Hatton, where Freddie was almost passive in his confidence.

"People tell me he's too slow," said Roach. "He beat Shane Mosley, one of the fastest guys in the world. He knows how to nullify speed."

...

"He knows a win over Manny Pacquiao erases all the bad things that's happened in his past. So anyone who thinks this is an easy fight is a fool. This guy is going to give it all he has," said Roach.

If anyone else is underestimating Cotto, it's obvious Roach is not.

The real money quote in this story, though, is this one:

"Mike Koncz made a comment that we don't need to talk to Freddie, he's only the trainer. Well, Mike Koncz, I'm the only one in the camp that knows boxing and knows the sport...I've been studying this guy (Cotto), watching his fights, I have a good strategy in mind and we just have to implement it now.

"[M]aybe Mike Koncz can come up with the strategy. I don't know. You know, I'm so pissed off with that guy ... if they don't want me to be the trainer anymore, that's fine with me. Do it yourself."

If this rift isn't settled -- and Koncz told ABS-CBN that he plans to do that "internally" -- things could get bad, and Manny could lose his trainer. It might seem crazy that Freddie would leave his "meal ticket," so to speak, but Freddie Roach is a proud, strong-headed guy. He's also likely closing in on his final years of training, and if he finds that working with Pacquiao's team becomes a hindrance on working with Pacquiao himself, he might feel the desire to dedicate himself elsewhere.