By John F. McKenna (McJack): Top Rank CEO Bob Arum has described famed strength and conditioning coach Alex Ariza’s leaving the training camp of World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao (54-3-2, 38 KO’s) as unprofessional and unfair.

Ariza took a late night flight to Los Angeles over the weekend so that he could help prepare WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (45-0-1-1, 31 KO’s) for an upcoming fight with Andy Lee (28-1, 20 KO’s) on June 16.

Although Ariza is said to have cleared his leaving camp with the “Pacman” himself, trainer Freddie Roach and Arum had no knowledge that Alex was leaving camp and were stunned when they heard the news. Roach allegedly received the news when his driver failed to pick him up at the hotel he was staying at to take him to the gym. Roach was forced to take a cab to the gym while his driver took Alex to the airport as Freddie later found out.

Arum for his part was quoted in the Manila Bulletin saying the following:

“That’s very unprofessional. There’s something with his (Ariza’s) attitude. It’s unfair.”

Former WBA and IBF light welterweight champion Amir Khan (26-2, 18 KO’s) traveled all the way from England to Baguio City specifically for the purpose of working with Ariza. For Amir the impact of Ariza’s departure cannot be overstated. He has a rematch with current WBA/IBF light welterweight champion Lamont Peterson (30-1-1, 15 KO’s) on May 19 at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino.

Roach also was thrown off stride by Ariza’s departure and was quoted saying:

“That why he (Khan) is here (in Baguio).

Roach went on to say that there are thousands of good conditioning coaches, but only a handful of good boxing trainers.

Ariza is perceived by some in the inner circle of close Pacquiao associates to have gotten to be overly impressed with his own importance. The fact that he left camp without either Roach or Arums’s knowledge could set up a scenario in which Roach will pursue other options in the futures so that Team Pacquiao is not left “holding the bag” so to speak.

Many Pacquiao insiders point out that Manny was already a great fighter long before Alex Ariza appeared on the scene and that Alex was basically an unknown before he started working with “Pacman.”