ARIZA SUGGESTS MANNY TALKS DIRECTLY WITH FLOYD
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Wed, 21 Jan 2015
Manny Pacquiao?s former strength and conditioning coach Alex Ariza who now works with Floyd Mayweather Jr has suggested that for negotiations on a planned May 2 fight to move forward, the two fighters should talk to each other and not through the media.
Ariza reiterated Mayweather?s remarks during a radio interview that Top Rank promoter Bob Arum calls the shots, not Pacquiao, and that ?it?s the actions that count, not the talk.?
He suggested that the best way to resolve the issue would be for Pacquiao ?to call Floyd, agree to meet in a restaurant or some place and discuss the terms? of a possible fight.
However, Pacquiao?s longtime adviser Michael Koncz shot down the suggestion saying ?it won?t work.? He recalled that some years ago when he put Pacquiao on the phone with Mayweather, ?Floyd insulted him by offering Manny $40 million, take it or leave it.?
Koncz also questioned Mayweather?s claims that he is his own boss unlike Pacquiao, stating that Mayweather?s boss is Al Haymon,? even as he made it clear that Arun was only Pacquiao?s promoter.
Ariza posed the question, ?what did Manny agree to?? citing the issue of what size gloves they would wear, which corner would they take, who would be the ring announcer ? Jimmy Lennon or Michael Buffer and several other issues.
Ariza said ?how could there be an agreement when the networks - Showtime which has a six-fight deal with Mayweather of which four have already taken place and Pacquiao who is tied up with HBO Sports ?haven?t agreed.?
He also asked who are the Pacquiao people negotiating with on the Mayweather side which is something that Pacquiao?s longtime adviser Michael Koncz has declined to reveal claiming that it was confidential.
When we posed the question again to Koncz reiterated that the people they spoke to were able to negotiate on behalf of Mayweather but they had agreed from the beginning not to reveal who was involved in the talks from both sides.
Koncz said the bottom line is ?Floyd is not going to fight Manny and his claims that he wants the fight badly are not true.?
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