Alex Ariza Blames Pacquiao Injury On Poor Preparation, Incompetent Team

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    Alex-Ariza-829Strength and conditioning coach Alex Ariza was a noteworthy addition to Floyd Mayweather Jr’s(48-0, 26KO’s) camp in the lead up to his May 2nd mega-match with Manny Pacquiao(57-6-2, 38KO’s) if only for his long-term past involvement with the opposition.

    Speaking with Fighthype.com after a vintage Floyd performance in which he soundly outpointed Pacquiao, Ariza summarised his new employer’s performance.

    “I thought he did really well. I think the more important thing is that the legs and the speed and what he wanted to focus on showed up tonight. We were able to dispel whatever everyone was saying on the other side regarding Floyd’s physical abilities.”

    Going into the fight Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach made no secret of his opinion that the 38-year-old Floyd’s springy legs were beginning to rust. There appeared to be plenty of miles left in them throughout the twelve rounds though, as he utilised much of the ring with little difficulty for long periods.

    Ariza was then asked what he thought of Pacquiao’s performance. After the fight Pacquiao revealed he felt an existing shoulder injury severely hampered his chances of success with the right hook. Ariza dismissed this as a rationalisation for poor preparations, citing the fact that Floyd had his own niggles to deal with in camp also.

    “I’m a little disappointed in it. Like Floyd said; we didn’t have an injury-free camp as well, but we used a lot of different methods for recovery and were able to overcome them and not use them as an excuse. And I would expect the same thing to come from them. You stopped doing things because you were getting tagged, that’s as simple as it was.”

    A scathing assessment that intensified when he turned his attention to Pacquiao’s corner and their effectiveness during the fight, reigniting his feud with Roach that has stood since they parted ways a few years ago.

    “He was a fighter that was out there by himself. He was a fighter that did everything on his own instinct. I saw the disarray in the corner.”

    “If Manny got a really good team behind him, a team that had credentials ,a history of success with dealing with elite athletes at the elite level, I think Manny could come back and still be something to be reckoned with.”

    If you’re reading this, you have internet access. Google Freddie Roach and you will see how many world champions he has trained over the years. To say Pacquiao needs to replace the man who has partnered him on his meteoric rise is quite unbelievable. The fact is Pacquiao was just outclassed by Floyd, whose precise counters and impeccable timing and defence would have carried him to victory against a younger, less conservative Pacquiao. Ariza seems to have let personal feelings cloud his objectivity, even if he did a good job with Floyd on this one.