ARIZA WANTS AMIR KHAN TO DESTROY MALIGNAGGI FOR HIS DISRESPECT TO PACQUIAO
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 16 Mar 2010
Now that he’s mission to get pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao ready to throw over 1,200 punches in a total domination of the often impenetrable defense of Ghana’s Joshua Clottey who was as solid as a rock, conditioning expert Alex Ariza says he will commit his entire effort to make sure 23 year old Amir Khan destroys 29 year old Paul Malignaggi on May 15 at New York’s Madison Square Garden.
Ariza who didn’t accompany trainer Freddie Roach for the press conference scheduled in New York on Wednesday, Manila Time, said “I want him to destroy Malignaggi for what he’s said.”
Malignaggi had joined the Mayweather clan headed by Floyd Mayweather Sr in accusing Pacquiao of being on performance enhancing drugs without providing a shred of evidence and Aruza said he wants Malignaggi to pay for it in the ring against the young British WBA junior welterweight champion.
Ariza told us that Khan would be back in training camp at the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles on Thursday, Friday in Manila.
The conditioning expert said he was confident Khan would whip Malignaggi. “I know he will, he will. I know so. He’s got a full eight weeks for the camp and I’m going to put him through hell” so he would be in superb condition and could rip the soft-punching Malignaggi.
Khan won the WBA 140 pound title with an impressive unanimous twelve round decision over Andriy Kotelnik last July and then gave Dmitry Salita a brutal beating, knocking him down twice in the opening round before finishing off the New York based Israeli in a mere 76 seconds last December.
Khan who had earlier signed up with Golden Boy Promotions has always praised Pacquiao and thanked him for his advice and his inputs on how to first beat Mexican legend Marco Antonio Barrera which he did in five rounds and then in the title fight against Kotelnik. On occasions Khan has sparred with Pacquiao during the Filipinos preparation for past fights.
Ariza said that when youngsters like Khan and Vanes Matirosyan train alongside Pacquiao and watched his systematic demolition of Miguel Cotto they were “inspired and their confidence boosted” because they had a model to not merely look up but to try and emulate.
BBC Sport quoted Khan as saying “I’m just going to go in there and do what I normally do and I really think Malignaggi has a style which is going to make me look good. He’s not at my level. He has a few good wins in America, but its another fight for and I’ll go there and do what I have to do.”
Malignaggi took a bad beating at the hands of IBO light welterweight champion Ricky “The Hitman” Hatton in 2008 before Pacquiao separate Hatton from his senses in a brutal second round knockout in May 2009.
Malignaggi who lost a hugely questionable decision to Golden Boy Promotions Juan Diaz in Houston, Texas came back to avenge that loss and effectively re-established himself as a title contender.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
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