ARUM-ARIZA DIFFERENCES TURN UGLY
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Thu, 07 Jun 2012
The differences between Top Rank promoter Bob Arum and strength and conditioning guru Alex Ariza have turned ugly.
Two days after Ariza flew to Las Vegas to train WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr and emailed photos of himself with Chavez Jr to disprove claims that he had been fired, Top Rank photographer Chris Farina earlier today emailed the Manila Standard a photo with Chavez?s new strength and conditioning coach Luis Cornejo.
Trainer Freddie Roach worked on the punch-mitts with the WBC middleweight champion.
Roach had earlier also attempted to keep Ariza out of Manny Pacquiao?s corner when he faces Timothy Bradley on Saturday but after Pacquiao met with Roach, Ariza and cutman Miguel Diaz, Pacquiao insisted that Ariza remain in his corner.
Roach had criticized Ariza when he left Pacquiao?s training camp in Baguio City to train Chavez Jr saying he was irresponsible but Ariza said he got Pacquiao?s permission to leave which Pacquiao himself confirmed.
Ariza told the Manila Standard that Arum was responsible for threatening to have him arrested by police should he enter the Top Rank Gym in Las Vegas where he was training Chavez Jr.
The strength and conditioning coach claimed Chavez Jr ?didn?t even know what happened and only found out today that Arum is not going to put me on the plane, not going to give me credentials, if I go to practice he?s going to have me arrested if I go to Top Rank. He had me blocked by the guards at the gate where Chavez Jr lives with my name on a do not enter list.?
Ariza lamented the fact that Chavez who is facing what he called ?the biggest fight of his career? against Ireland?s Andy Lee at the Sun Bowl stadium in El Paso, Texas on June 16 has been deprived of his services barely two weeks before his title defense.
He said he had trained Chavez Jr for four successful fights including two title defenses and was ?the only one to ever get him to make weight in his career, on time without any problems? even as he alleged that even if Chavez Jr loses Arum won?t suffer because he has options on Andy Lee.
The feud between Arum and Ariza has been brewing for sometime after Ariza alleged that the Top Rank promoter was the stumbling block to making a megabuck fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr and that Pacquiao was not earning what was rightfully his in his fights.
Arum vehemently denied the claims of Ariza while members of Team Pacquiao who accused Ariza of abandoning Manny in the middle of his training camp in Baguio said the strength and conditioning coach interfered in areas that were not his concern instead of concentrating on his task of getting Pacquiao into top shape for his fight.
Amir Khan who was also training in Baguio City with Ariza and Roach said he fired Ariza after he left their training camp.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
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