Roach braces for protest by Algieri’s trainer

MACAU – Freddie Roach has warned Manny Pacquiao that Chris Algieri’s trainer might create a scene before Sunday’s fight at the Cotai Arena inside The Venetian Macao here in an effort to disrupt the Filipino’s focus.

During the rules meeting after the official weigh-in on  Saturday morning, Roach said his counterpart Tim Lane tried to protest one of his hand wrapping techniques, which involves putting a piece of rolled-up tape over the knuckles.

The multi-awarded trainer said Lane even went screaming about it in the meeting.   

“They tried to get the commissioner to stop me from doing that. It’s just a piece of rolled-up tape between the fingers. They’re kind of saying I’m putting it over the knuckles. But they don’t really understand it. It’s just a piece of tape to hold the pad down,” Roach told local scribes in the media room.

The bespectacled cornerman has no plans of abandoning his technique and is expecting further opposition from Lane on fight day.

“Everyone in the world does it, but not everyone rolls it (tape). Some twist it, some roll it. There’s nothing in the rule book that says you can’t roll or pinch it or whatever,” Roach argued.

"I've done it since the Oscar Dela Hoya fight (in 2008) and no commissioner has ever turned it down. Because it's just a piece of tape," he further said.

It’s common practice for trainers to inspect their fighter’s opponent as they wrap their hands in the locker room prior to a fight. Roach then went on to issue a warning to Lane in case the trainer blows his top again about the issue.

“He’s gonna explode when I do it tomorrow in the dressing room. And if he beats us to the line and talks to some of the commissioners, I’ll have him thrown out,” he said, adding that it could be a ploy to distract Pacquiao.

“I just talked to Manny and told him there’s a good chance that he’ll try to get in your head because he was yelling and screaming today,” Roach continued.

“If he does that in our dressing room, he’ll be ejected.”