By Mark Vester

The hot story, broken by BoxingScene.com's Ronnie Nathanielsz, and later denied by Michael Koncz - has now been confirmed to be 100% legit. As previously reported on BoxingScene, Manny Pacquiao's conditioning coach Alex Ariza punched out Michael Koncz, who is Pacquiao's advisor, after tempers exploded at Manny's training camp in Baguio City.

Ariza lost his cool after finding out that Koncz tried to get him bounced from working Pacquiao's corner for the November 14 clash with WBO welterweight champion Miguel Cotto. Koncz wanted to work the corner in place of Ariza. When reached for comment by BoxingScene, Koncz denied the beating and had no further comment on the incident.

Ariza spoke with Michael Marley of The Examiner and confirmed the altercation, which took place at the Cooyesan Hotel in Baguio City. Ariza said Koncz verbally snapped at him when asked as to why he was trying to pull him out of Pacquiao's corner. Ariza then unloaded with five punches before bodyguards pulled him off.

“We were upstairs in the living room of Manny’s suite,” Ariza said. “He snapped at me, he got sarcastic and I did something not in my character. I told him, ‘Get up out of the chair.’ He didn’t get up and I punched him. Three of Manny’s bodyguards pulled me off him. You can’t rationalize with him, you can’t be diplomatic. I’m here to do my job, to be there for Manny 24/7. Koncz really has no role except for errand boy.”

Ariza was personally told by Pacquiao to work the corner. So when Ariza asked Koncz why he was going against Pacquiao's orders, Koncz told him “none of your f***ing business!”

Then Ariza just lost it.

“I hit Koncz and he started screaming. That’s when the bodyguards moved in and grabbed me, pulled me off him.”

During the last few weeks, Koncz has become the clear heel to Pacquiao fans. He traded words with Manny's trainer Freddie Roach. It was recently revealed that Koncz tried to get Roach removed as trainer over money. And Koncz has tried to overstep Roach and make actual training camp decisions. Many Filipino boxing fans are begging Pacquiao to get rid of Koncz.

Who said this was going to be a boring 24/7?

Send News Tips and Comments To Mark Vester @ boxingvester@gmail.com