By Chris Williams: Trainer Freddie Roach said last Saturday night that Alex Ariza, the strength and conditioning coach for WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao, wouldn’t be part of Roach’s four-man corner crew this Saturday night in Pacquiao’s important bout against undefeated Tim Bradley.

Long-time HBO analyst Larry Merchant doesn’t see why Ariza would be needed for Pacquiao’s corner during the Bradley fight, saying to Chris Robinson at Examiner.com “I’m not sure why he could be in the corner during the fight…Why would he be in the corner if he’s the strength guy?…I just don’t understand the relationship.”

Merchant feels that Roach should be the only voice that Pacquiao is hearing, because he’s the coach and Ariza isn’t a boxing coach, he’s a strength trainer. However, I can see Ariza would be part of the corner. He’s a heck of a lot easier to understand that Roach when he talks, and he’s damn good at motivating Pacquiao. He shows emotion and seems to have good chemistry with the Filipino fighter. I think he’s an intricate part of Pacquiao’s corner team right now, maybe even a bigger factor than Roach.

If you’ve got Roach saying Ariza can’t be in the corner this Saturday helping Pacquiao out, I think this will hurt Pacquiao more than help him. When the going gets tough and Pacquiao starts to get battered, it would be good to have Ariza there giving advice and motivating Pacquiao. Like I said, he’s a lot more emotional than Roach, and I think that’s what Pacquiao needs right now at this point in his career. Roach is too clinical when he talks. It’s like listening to a lecture in a college. He’s the same way even when Pacquiao is struggling like he was in his last fight against Juan Manuel Marquez.

Pacquiao needs someone a little more alive that can stick a prod on his backside to get him doing the right thing in the ring. You can’t have someone like Roach talking in an almost whisper when he’s giving a beat up Pacquiao instructions. Ariza is very much needed in the corner, and hopefully Pacquiao tells Ariza he can be there on Saturday. Ariza can then just blow off whatever Roach said about him not being there and just show up anyway.