By John F. McKenna (McJack): In a move sure to bring glee to the detractors of Filipino icon World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao (54-3-2, 38 KO’s), famed conditioning coach Alex Ariza has left Manny’s training camp in Baguio City and headed back to the U.S.A.

Ariza left Baguio and returned to the U.S.A. to assist WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (45-0-1-1 NC, 31 KO’s) who is preparing to defend his title against Irish sensation Andy Lee (28-1-1, 20 KO’s) on June 16 in El Paso, Texas. According to Ariza he received the green light from “Pacman” himself to temporarily leave camp with the understanding that he would reunite with Manny at trainer Freddie Roach’s Wild Card Gym in Hollywood.

Pacquiao and Roach will head to the Wild Card Gym during the first week in May where “Pacman” will complete his training in preparation for his huge title fight with WBO light welterweight champion Timothy Bradley (28-0-1 NC, 12 KO’s). Pacquiao and Bradley will face off on June 9 at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas.

Pacquiao trainer Freddie Roach, who normally keeps a close tab on the goings on at Manny’s training camps, was caught totally off guard by Ariza’s leaving camp. In fact Roach initially found out about the incident when the driver who normally picks him up to take him to the gym did not show up. Roach was forced to call a cab. When he was finally able to reach his driver he was shocked to find out that he (the driver) did not show up because he was taking Ariza to the airport to catch a flight to Los Angelea for his return to the U.S.A.

Needless to say Roach is not happy with the latest developments and it is implausible to think that he would not have been kept informed by Ariza or Pacquiao unless it was something that happened abruptly. It will be interesting to see the spin that is put out there for the media as the reason that Alex left camp so quickly.

It has long been alleged that Ariza has a huge ego. Of course a fighter of Manny’s stature is also bound to have huge ego. Ariza has been openly critical of “Pacman” for not following his training program in totality, and then going public with it. Ariza has blamed Pacquiao’s leg cramping in his recent rights on his not following his program in its entirety.

Ariza also displayed an amazing amount of arrogance prior to Manny’s fight with Juan Manuel Marquez when he stated that if God himself came down he could not save Marquez in his fight with Pacquiao. Apparently at that time Ariza was satisfied with Pacquiao’s training.