FightHype.com

ALEX ARIZA TALKS MAYWEATHER VS. PACQUIAO: "THE OPPONENT THAT WE HAVE NOW...I'VE BEEN IN HARDER FIGHTS"

By Ben Thompson | February 27, 2015
ALEX ARIZA TALKS MAYWEATHER VS. PACQUIAO:

"You know, if you talk to the trainers and fighters who know this sport, there's a reason why they're all picking Floyd to win. For me, the guy that I trained five years ago, the guy that was walking through walls and that was literally breaking bones with shots and comatizing people with single shots, the opponent that we have now is a shell of that guy...not only do I have a fighter that's more skilled than the opponent, but there's no doubt that he'll also be more physically prepared than the opponent as well," stated world-class Strength & Conditioning coach Alex Ariza, who shared his thoughts on the long-awaited May 2 showdown between undefeated pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather and 8-division world champion Manny Pacquiao. Check it out!

BT: Alex, after six years, are you surprised that the fight is finally going to happen?

AA: I'm very surprised. I didn't think it would happen. I really didn't. I thought there was no way they were going to be able to deal with Bob [Arum].

BT: At one point, it definitely seemed like Bob Arum was heading down a familiar path of pulling the plug and putting the blame on Floyd. What do you think was different this time around during negotiations?

AA: I think we set things in motion, to be honest with you. Once we were able to really put things on front street with the video at the movie premiere, you had everybody starting to ask questions. Other people in the media, Stephen A. Smith on First Take, just everybody was really starting to ask questions. I think we kind of threw a wrench in Bob's plans and people started asking about this mystery contract that never existed. When our opponent was going around saying that he signed the contract, Floyd went and put everything on blast to find out that nothing was signed and there wasn't even a contract drawn up. And Michael Koncz is, you know, liars and thieves will fucking turn on each other, so he turned and blamed it on Bob and said they're just repeating what Bob told them. Floyd really took control of the situation. Bob was checked and told to sit down, shut up, and stay out of the way. That's why this fight is happening and that's why the fans are going to finally get what they deserve.

BT: You're in the unique position of being someone that's been on both sides of the fence. At first, you thought maybe Floyd didn't want the fight, but then, I think it was maybe 4 years ago, you started placing all the blame on Bob Arum. What changed your mind during that 6-year span?

AA: I think originally, just like everybody else, I bought into the whole idea that Floyd didn't want to fight us, but then after the whole thing was made up about Manny being scared of needles and Manny doesn't like his blood taken, it was just one excuse after another after another. I knew none of that was true, so I could just see that it was Bob constantly coming up with these ridiculous excuses. It was always something. We all knew it was Bob, but what could I or anyone on the team do at the time? I did that one interview with you years ago, telling everyone that it was Bob preventing the fight, but I could only say and do so much at the time. This time, not having to worry about the repercussions of Bob blocking me out of camp or not letting me get to my fighter or having guards at the gym where they won't let me in, I could speak more freely. Now that I'm on this side, I could be honest and upfront about things and not have to worry about any ramifications that might prevent me from working with my fighter because Floyd is the boss and that's how it is. He runs the show. He's nobody's puppet and he doesn't buy into what this guy or that guy will tell him to do. Nobody tells Floyd what to do. He tells other people what to do, so there was nothing for me to fear being on this side.

BT: You were still with Manny when he suffered that devastating knockout loss to Juan Manuel Marquez. He's had three fights since then. Do you think he's the same fighter that he was prior to that loss?

AA: You know, if you talk to the trainers and fighters who know this sport, there's a reason why they're all picking Floyd to win. For me, the guy that I trained five years ago, the guy that was walking through walls and that was literally breaking bones with shots and comatizing people with single shots, the opponent that we have now is a shell of that guy. I know this sounds crazy, I mean, you'd think I'd be nervous, but I feel confident about the program that we have, the way it's evolved and the way that's it progressed. For me, I think I've been in harder fights, to be honest with you. Listen Ben, it's like this, there's a reason why you have guys like Amir Khan, Chavez Jr., Mikey Garcia, Marcos Maidana, Robert Garcia, I mean, there's a reason why these guys know Floyd will win, and it's not because of my strength & conditioning program. It's because Floyd is already a very skilled, mentally strong, very methodical strategist. But in addition to all of that, these guys, that have all picked Floyd to win, have trained with me and have been through my program. They know that not only do I have a fighter that's more skilled than the opponent, but there's no doubt that he'll also be more physically prepared than the opponent as well because they've all been through that. Probably every one of them have had Fight of the Year performances at some point when they were working with me and they all exceeded their own expectations of what they thought they could do. I think they all know that it's just going to compliment everything that Floyd does and the advantages he already has. I think, like I said, that's why trainers and fighters are picking us to win because I think they're seeing just a complete package. It's a numbers thing. When you look at both fighters and you add up the names of the opponents that one fighter has had in his last three or four fights and then you look at our fighter, just look a the level of competition that they had. I mean, it's just very hard for me to see where our weaknesses are in this fight versus our opponent's weaknesses.

BE SURE TO CHECK BACK SOON FOR MUCH MORE FROM STRENGTH & CONDITIONING COACH ALEX ARIZA



[ Follow Ben Thompson on Twitter @fighthype ]

MARCH 18, 2024
MARCH 17, 2024
MARCH 14, 2024
MARCH 12, 2024
MARCH 11, 2024
MARCH 07, 2024
MARCH 04, 2024
FEBRUARY 29, 2024
FEBRUARY 27, 2024
FEBRUARY 22, 2024
FEBRUARY 19, 2024
FEBRUARY 15, 2024
FEBRUARY 12, 2024
FEBRUARY 08, 2024
FEBRUARY 05, 2024
FEBRUARY 01, 2024
JANUARY 31, 2024
JANUARY 30, 2024
JANUARY 29, 2024
JANUARY 25, 2024
JANUARY 22, 2024
JANUARY 18, 2024
JANUARY 15, 2024
JANUARY 12, 2024
JANUARY 11, 2024
JANUARY 08, 2024
JANUARY 04, 2024
JANUARY 01, 2024