Pacquiao's conditioning coach: 'Ariza a cancer to Mayweather's camp'

Manny Pacquiao's current strength and conditioning coach Justin Fortune is convinced that Alex Ariza will contribute nothing to Floyd Mayweather's training camp for the much-awaited mega fight on May 2.

 

Ariza used to work as Pacquiao's conditioning coach until he was sacked by Freddie Roach a couple of years ago. That same year, Ariza found refuge in Robert Garcia's gym and worked with Brandon Rios only to be fired yet again after just one training camp.

 

Some observers tend to think that Ariza was hired by Mayweather to play mind games with Pacquiao, but Fortune doesn't see any sense in the theory.

 

"Nobody likes the f—ing guy. So as far as putting the cancer into your camp, and everyone in our camp is happy to get rid of the guy and no one liked him — where is the mind game?" Fortune told Boxingscene.com.

 

"I fail to see where the mind game is there, because throwing that idi*t out was the best thing that ever happened to this camp, because Pacquiao has been better in shape, happier and winning. That guy is just bad karma. So when you put him into Floyd's camp; good luck."

 

Other than possibly causing havoc and discord in training camp, Fortune also said Ariza will add nothing new to Floyd Mayweather's training regimen and fighting style.

 

"What the f— is Alex Ariza going to show Floyd Mayweather that his father and his uncle haven't shown him and Floyd doesn't know?" says Fortune.

 

Easier fight

 

Ariza, for his part, earlier said he is convinced that the Filipino ring icon is no longer the same athlete he trained years ago.

 

"You know, if you talk to the trainers and fighters who know this sport, there's a reason why they're all picking Floyd to win," Ariza told fighthype.com.

 

"For me, the guy that I trained five years ago, the guy that was walking through walls and that was literally breaking bones with shots and comatizing people with single shots, the opponent that we have now is a shell of that guy." —JST, GMA News