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Philippines, 15 Oct 2025 |
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WANTED: A NEW CONDITIONING COACH/NUTRITIONIST FOR PACQUIAO? By Ed de la Vega, DDS PhilBoxing.com Thu, 08 Aug 2013  Apparently, there is trouble in paradise. So what else is new, huh? Reports indicate that Alex Ariza, Manny Pacquiao?s long time conditioning coach was fired by Freddie Roach with Pacquiao?s consent or at least, knowledge. The primary reason according to Roach was that the Columbian conditioning guru tried to ?do other jobs that are somebody else?s responsibility but his own.? In the heat of battle that can be dangerous. Roach?s allegation is not a state secret. It?s nothing new particularly to people who followed Pacquiao?s career. In some fights where the trio worked together, Ariza could be clearly seen taking over the job of Miguel Diaz as the cutman. Theoretically, Ariza?s job stops as soon as the first bell rings. He does not have a place on top of the ring apron in the corner of Pacquiao. Only Roach as the trainer, Buboy Fernandez as secondary trainer/interpreter and Miguel Diaz, as the cutman, belong in that place. Ariza could be at the floor handling stuff to Roach such as the spittoon or the stool but he does not belong on top of the apron. Period. In this writer?s humble opinion, the present scenario could have been easily avoided. First and foremost, Freddie Roach should have been more emphatic in his role as the ?chief second? of Pacquiao. That is part of his job! But he wasn?t for reasons only known to him. He hired both Alex Ariza and Miguel Diaz and he should have set the rules. In fairness to him, it could be totally possible that indeed he set the rules. Or he could have naturally assumed that both Ariza and Diaz know the limits of their jobs. The problem is he did not stand his ground and enforced them. What good are rules if they are not enforced? Therefore, he caused all this brouhaha. It?s not only in one occasion when Ariza could be seen up on the apron acting as the cutman and poor old man Diaz staring from the floor helpless as a kid. It?s a pathetic scene that needlessly happened because Roach failed to emphasize to Ariza the limits of his job. But the brouhaha is also partly due to Diaz? very weak disposition and Ariza?s overly strong temperament. So they are at fault too! What Diaz should have done is to impose his will and take control of his job. He is an old dog in the cutman?s business and he should have known better than to allow Ariza stick his nose on his responsibilities. Ariza on the other hand should have known his limits as a conditioning coach/nutritionist as well. But his strong disposition precludes that from being done. He simply is a ?gotta get this job done? kind-of a-guy. I vividly remember a short conversation I had with him long ago at the Wildcard gym where we talked about ?cuts?. ?It?s not rocket science?, he said. ?All one needs to have is correct medications and proper technique.? You just have to press that adrenalin-soaked gauze on the cut. The adrenalin and pressure will stop the bleeding? he said. It?s no small wonder Ariza was confident in taking over Diaz?s job. He knows the cutman?s business to some extent. But as the saying goes ?a little knowledge is a dangerous thing.? With all this brouhaha, the ultimate loser is Manny Pacquiao. If the present scenario continues, Pacquiao may not have Ariza while he trains for a projected difficult fight with Brandon Rios. That could be quiet dangerous particularly after a long lay-off from fighting and coming off of a knock-out in the hands of Juan Marquez. Ariza maybe brass, but there is no doubt he knows his stuff. In fact, he maybe one of the best there is. Pacquiao needs Ariza as much as he needs Miguel Diaz and Freddie Roach. There is no doubt that Pacquiao needs Diaz in his corner. The old man is one of the best in the cutman?s business. My only comment about him is his flaw in asepsis. He keeps his adrenalin-soaked Q-Tips between his teeth. Now how sanitary is that? No doubt Pacquiao needs Roach as well. But Roach should focused more on the job and downright start defining the job description of each member of the Team. What?s so hard in telling Ariza that his job is done when the first bell rings and he does not belong on the ring apron? What?s so hard in telling Diaz that he should wake up and take control of his job instead of just letting things go by as Ariza steals his job? In the end, the trio must be at Pacquiao?s corner when he fights Rios. No buts or ands. It?s time for Pacquiao to get hold of the situation and put the trio in their proper places. Rios is not a joke and could conceivably end the career of Pacquiao. He needs his reliable team together to minimize or even prevent his career from coming to a sudden end! Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ed de la Vega, DDS.  |
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