Roach downplays Ariza?s absence
By Eddie Alinea
PhilBoxing.com
Sun, 22 Apr 2012
BAGUIO CITY ? ?Manny conditions himself.?
This was how chief trainer Freddie Roach put the loss of strength and conditioning coach Alex Ariza, who left the World Boxing Organization welterweight champion?s training camp here Saturday night.
?Manny already knows the basics on how to put himself in shape and I don?t believe Alex?s absence would adversely affect these aspects of preparations seven weeks before his next fight,? Roach said, adding there?s no way Ariza?s loss would derail the total training program.
The Filipino eight-division kingpin will be putting his 147-pound crown to stake against undefeated American Timothy Bradley on June 9 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
?No, it won?t derail or destroy what have started. Manny had matured these past many years, surviving all the distractions thrown his way in many attempts to destroy him and ruin his career,? Roach said in a statement attesting to his trust in his ward of 11 years.
What drove many, including sectors in media, to believe the relationship between Pacquiao and Ariza had ended was the statements attributed to the trainer this time, he will see to it that he'll oversee the training his way, unlike in the Filipino fighters previous training when he refused to follow some of his instructions.
?Well, Manny always doesn?t listen to Alex, anyway. So nothing?s new really,? Roach said with a smile in his face. ?Alex, for instance, opposes Manny?s playing basketball. Alex wants Manny instead to swim.?
Meanwhile, the 52-year-old Hall of Famer said he himself will handle the strength and conditioning portion of Pacquiao?s fine-tuning program until such time that Ariza comes back or somebody surfaces to do the stamina-building program.
?I have been doing this conditioning thing all my life until I discovered Alex who I recommended to Manny himself, so I don?t see derailment in the program as some sectors feared,? Roach said.
Roach said he will be assisting by Filipino trainer Marvin Somodio, his understudy for the past few years who he said is very capable of implementing the program Ariza has prepared.
Somodio, a member of the Anson Tiu Co-owned Shape Up Boxing Gym training team at the Cooyeessn Hotel here, handled former junior welterweight champion Amir Khan?s training here before Roach arrived.
?Yeah, Marvin?s more than qualified to do the job. In fact, I plan to bring him to the Wild Card Gym to continue implementing the program in case Alex doesn?t come back,? Roach assured.
?I?ll try to work it out with Manny if Marvin can be included in the team when we move to Los Angeles for the last month of training.?
?Alex was quoted as saying he?ll be back when training shifts to Wild Card, but I don?t know how he can. Chavez is fighting a week after Manny?s fight with Bradley, Many things can happen, you know,?
Ariza asked and obtained permission from both Pacquiao and Khan to leave and help Julio Cezar Chavez Jr. in his own preparations for his coming title bout with Andy Lee on June 16 in El Paso, Texas.
?No, Alex did not resign. He merely told Manny his desire to give priority to Chavez and Manny consented,? Roach disclosed.
?Manny is too kind to say no to any request, especially from members of his team,? Roach said. ?I?m sure he would again say yes if Alex will approach him later to re-assume his job.?
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