By all accounts, Alex Ariza is a competent conditioning guru for top flight boxers. He is proabably not as fantastic and unlimited in ability as his inflated ego makes him out to be but, make no mistake, Ariza is not on the payroll of Manny Pacquiao, Amir Khan or Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. becuse his daddy got him the plum gigs, nothing like that. But I’m still stunned by the headstrong Ariza’s decision to abandon his best paymaster, meaning Pacman, for two to three weeks and to also leave Khan in the training lurch in Baguio City, Philippines, while he jetted back to North America to concentrate on Chavez. I hesistated to even broach this marginal topic, thinking it might just be gossip, mere fodder for a Tim Bradley-Pacman HBO 24/7 telenovela thread. And I’m sure, given Congressman Pacquiao’s forgiving nature, that he will take Ariza back into the fold when Team Pacquiao decamps to Freddie Roach’s Wild Card Gym in the sleaziest section of Hollyweird. Yeah, I know, Drama King Ariza made a big show out of how he got Bossmanny’s permission to abandon ship and run to Chavez chores. But I’m reminded of Michael Corleone in “The Godfather” when he warned idiot brother Fredo, who sucked up to Moe Greene, to never go against the family. Ariza’s no dummy so why would he risk losing Pacman as a client and his work Khan in favor of the more marginal Chavez? Pacquiao is know for keeping friends close and enemies closer so which category does he put Ariza in at this point? It’s also clear that revered Coach Roach is done with cuddling with Ariza and I know for a fact that Roach has directly or indirectly made approaches to conditioning guru and former BALCO Bad Boy Victor Conte about working with Roach’s top fighters going forward. Conte despises Ariza and vice versa. Conte has publicly labeled Ariza a drug cheater and, at least so far, Ariza has taken no legal action against the Bay Area expert. I don’t know where the Ariza saga will wind up but, trust me, it’s not over with the story line that Megamanny will embrace him at the Wild Card. Chavez fights Andy Lee June 16, which is one week prior to Pacman’s bout against Bradley and several weeks before Khan’s crucial rematch against Lamont Peterson. Ariza has rolled the dice. Will he come up snake eyes? Stay tuned.
