Ariza: Pacquiao is an ordinary fighter now

By Boxing News - 10/07/2013 - Comments

pac6766By Chris Williams: Alex Ariza, the former strength and conditioning coach for Manny Pacquiao (54-5-2, 38 KO’s), thinks he’s slipped a notch in his ability because Ariza feels that Pacquiao is no longer training the right way with trainer Freddie Roach. Ariza sees Pacquiao as having declined since he stopped training the way he did years ago when he was training him in his conditioning program.

Pacquiao hasn’t looked good in his last two fights and this hasn’t been lost on Ariza, because he’s noticed the decline and he thinks he’s no longer being trained right by Roach.

Ariza told On the Ropes Boxing Radio “Pacquiao…was an ordinary fighter. Manny Pacquiao went from ordinary to extraordinary when we got there, and now he’s back to being an average fighter.”

Ariza is now training Pacquiao’s November 23rd opponent Brandon Rios, and he’s having him go through the full strength regimen. Ariza thinks he can turn Rios into the same fighter that Pacquiao was many moons ago, but Ariza says that Rios is already starting out as not “An ordinary fighter.” If that’s the case then he should be able to greatly improve Rios if his strength and conditioning formula really in fact works.

I for one never saw Pacquiao as an extraordinary fighter even in his prime. He fought guys like Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito at catch-weights, so it was impossible to know if he could beat them at the full weight. Pacquiao never fought Floyd Mayweather Jr. despite having 2 chances. I don’t think he would have stood a chance against Mayweather in 2009, and definitely not now.

Ariza doesn’t say whether he could bring Pacquiao back to the extraordinary stage if he were to be back with him having him following his full strength and conditioning regimen like he did back in 2009.

Pacquiao’s turning 35 in December, and it may be that he won’t be able to get back to where he was in his prime in 2009 even if Ariza was part of Team Pacquiao. It’s much different story when you’re talking about a fighter that is 30 and younger compared to a 35-year-old fighter that has gone though a ton of wars, and who was knocked unconscious in his last fight against Juan Manuel Marquez.

In the Marquez fight, Pacquiao was moving like he always did, but the difference was he was hitting the canvas when he was hit hard. Granted, Marquez had been working on his power going into that fight and he was looking to KO Pacquiao with every shot, but it’s not like it was the first time that Pacquiao had faced someone that wanted to KO him before. He’s always faced guys that wanted to knock him out cold, but in this fight Pacquiao was eating the canvas when he was hit. He wasn’t staying on his feet and that might be something that Ariza can change even with the best strength and conditioning regimen.

It’s going to be interesting to see if Ariza can lead Rios to a victory over Pacquiao. If Rios beats him on November 23rd, then you have to give a lot of credit to Ariza for coming up with the right strength and conditioning program to lead Rios to victory.



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