While there was some initial confuse as to whether Alex Ariza would be working the corner of WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao this weekend, Freddie Roach revealed to me on Tuesday that he will indeed be including the Columbian-born coach as part of the Filipino icon?s team on Saturday night inside of the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Speaking to HBO?s 24/7 cameras in advance of Pacquiao?s bout with Timothy Bradley this weekend, Roach ignited a wildfire with his remarks that he wasn?t going to have Ariza in Pacquiao?s corner.
It turns out that veteran trainer Miguel Diaz, who has been Pacquiao?s cut man for his last seven fights, was unhappy with the way in which Ariza tried to take over his role during Manny?s recent victory over Juan Manuel Marquez this past November. It wasn?t until late in the Marquez fight, after Pacquiao had suffered a bad cut, that Diaz was allowed to fully do his job and it?s something he was obviously unsettled about.
Speaking from the final Pacquiao-Bradley press conference on Wednesday, Diaz showed hope that everything will be alright amongst the team come fight night.
?Things will run smoothly because I just got word from Freddie Roach that I?m going to be, from the very beginning, in the ring,? said Diaz. ?There will be no Ariza in the ring and with me waiting to see if I had a little cut like last time. I finally started to act crazy and try to bring him down because I saw some blood on Ariza?s towel. I?m going to be right there on the apron for this fight.?
Obviously wanting to stay civil, Diaz couldn?t hide all of his frustrations towards Ariza.
?I want to respect everybody and I?m going to give a shot to everybody, but unfortunately Ariza went too far in the last fight, saying that he?s the one who stopped the cut in the tenth round,? Diaz continued. ?He stopped it a little bit, because of my q-tips that I gave to him. When he saw the cut he applied that and he told the media that he?s the one who stopped the cut when I actually had to get in in the eleventh round and do the job.?
Diaz did note that it?s most important for everyone to work together and that he?s willing to ?play teamwork? with Ariza come Saturday to make sure their fighter keeps focused.
