NEW Video With the Strength & Conditioning Trainer
Alex Ariza is arguably the world’s most famous strength and conditioning coach ever.
Recognizable in the boxing scene and beyond, his training methods have made many curious, have made some skeptical, all while catching the interest of several elite athletes who want to rise to the top. In the corner with Manny Pacquiao, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Amir Khan, the coach will have a busy two months as this trio of fighters are all set to lace up in their upcoming championship fights.
But it is his training alongside Freddie Roach of the superstar Pacman that has pushed Ariza to the forefront of media attention.
On Wednesday I caught up with the busy trainer at Pacquiao’s media workout held at the Wild Card Boxing Club. In the heart of Hollywood, throngs of journalists all crammed into the famed gym to catch Manny in action before his marquee matchup airing on HBO PPV.
He will face Mexican warrior Juan Manuel Marquez for Pacquiao–Marquez III November 12 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. The two will fight for the WBO Welterweight title at a 144 catchweight.
Training has been going well, first in the Philippines and now in Los Angeles as Ariza tells me Manny’s currrent weight is 147.
Chatting with the amiable coach in a “quiet” corner of the gym (compared to the crush of media packed like sardines and crammed against the ropes), listen in our conversation before the workout session with the Filipino pound-for-pound specialist began. As we tucked away in a corner of the legendary boxing gym, the room continued to swell with bodies as the Filipino icon brings out a crowd like no other.
After early training in the Philippines, the team has now settled in at Wild Card. But during those travels to Baguio and Manila, Ariza said the typhoons were almost a KO force, but other than that the camp is right on schedule given Manny’s six-month layoff from any hard training. Back in L.A., they begin at 5:30 a.m. and Alex comments that it’s been very consistent throughout the weeks.
With the disciplined training before fights, what’s a normal day like for Team Pacman?
And when–and if–Pacquiao ever does stray from his strict boxer’s diet, does Manny have a major sweet tooth?
Does he bust out the Skittles, devour chocolate cake or gobble down greasy French Fries in those splurge moments?
Hear the surprising answer in my interview with his conditioning coach, a pivotal member of the team who on this day was dressed in a black “MP Boxing” shirt and a Pacquiao warm-up jacket in the colors of the Filipino flag.
In regards to trainer Freddie Roach’s prediction of a stoppage by the sixth round, Alex also tells me: “Freddie is obviously the master in picking rounds in fights.”
With his own thoughts on the November 12 outcome, Ariza had this to say. “I don’t think Marquez is gonna take any chances. In his head, he’s been ‘robbed’ twice,” Alex thinks. “So he’s not gonna leave it in the hands of the judges…You’re NOT gonna ‘outcondition’ my fighter! That’s never gonna happen. You’re not gonna outpunch him; you’re not gonna get him tired. None of that is gonna happen with Manny.”
So what does that leave for Team Marquez’s game plan?
“Marquez’s only shot is to come out there and try to get him out early and hopefully catch him cold,” Alex states. “But I think Manny knocks him out early in the third–by the three!”
Listen in on this new Q&A with Alex Ariza as Team Pacquiao preps for November 12.
Photos by Michele Chong and Maria Hedrick
Alex Ariza Interview Link: