Pacquiao vs Mayweather: Alex Ariza Blasts Bob Arum For Not Making the Fight
by Scott Christ on Nov 25, 2011 5:26 AM EST
in Boxing News Analysis
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Manny Pacquiao's outspoken strength and conditioning coach Alex Ariza has taken the gloves off and ripped into promoter Bob Arum for not making a fight between Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr.
In an interview with Fighthype's Ben Thompson, Ariza didn't mince words, and said he really believes Maweather wants to make the fight, and that it's Arum standing in the way.
"It's always about what's best for Bob and his agenda. ... I know that Michael Koncz says that he's having a meeting with Bob to negotiate the Mayweather fight. They're having a meeting on how to make sure this fight doesn't happen. That's what their meeting is about. ... Bob Arum is a greedy pig. ... Arum hates Floyd Mayweather, can't stand him, doesn't want to see him make a dollar, can't stand Golden Boy, doesn't want to do business with them. But instead of doing what's best for the sport, what's best for the fans, and what's best for the fighters because they'll get the payday of a lifetime, no, it's all about him. ... Unless you can tell me and convince me otherwise, because I'm thoroughly convinced and believe Floyd really does want to have this fight."
Now this is all quite a statement, to say the least. Read the full interview, because there's so much more fire in there, including that he hears Arum is trying to get Ariza and Freddie Roach away from Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.
Maybe Ariza has overstepped his bounds here, but the gist is that he feels Arum oversteps his on a regular basis. Fight fire with fire, I guess. This whole saga is heating up like never before, and Bob Arum is taking the brunt of the criticism from just about all sides. How will he respond?
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Even though Ariza has a tattoo, he still looks like a choir boy
and though he does often talk too much i think he’s bang on here and hopefully people who are close to Manny saying things like this makes Bob do the right thing for once.
Then again it could just make him throw his toys out of the pram and refuse to do the fight at all.
Surely Manny can overule him if he wants to though, can’t he?
I’m not sure how it works when you’re contracted but i would have thought that the buck truly stops with Manny.
http://www.fighthype.com/pages/content11249.html?PHPSESSID=9be4ae17a2d831e559dd0ebff8919e9e
http://fistonchin.com http://brightlightssports.com
I used to like Ariza before the Marquez fight
He had talked way too much crap since then. But i am glad they are standing up to Arum. Its about time. Im sick of that old clown.
Ariza always talks a lot of shit… I agree wholeheartedly with what he’s saying and I’m even glad he said it in such a manner, but that doesn’t make him a more likeable guy…he still talks a lot of crap
Bob Arum would promote Lucifer himself if he could put asses in the seats.
He's an equal opportunity shit talker
He spares no one in his love for his own mini celebrity.
He’s had fights with Manny.
With Koncz.
He predicts one thing definitively.
Then changes it when it doesn’t happen.
He makes Roach look downright timid by comparison.
He deserves credit when his star fights spectacularly but isn’t so quick to accept responsibility for issues that fall into his bailiwick as an S and C man ( ie. Cramping in training and in
"Silence is golden when you can't think of a good answer"
---- Muhammed Ali
Here you go my fellow boxing fanatics:
http://www.fighthype.com/pages/content11249.html?PHPSESSID=9be4ae17a2d831e559dd0ebff8919e9e
http://fistonchin.com http://brightlightssports.com
Cheers Chris.
Off topic, some more good news for UK fans.
BoxNation showing Saul Alvarez v Kermit Cintron and Adrien Broner v Vincente Rodriguez this Saturday night:
Strength & conditioning coaches should stick to topics about strength & conditioning. My two pennies.
by soulrise on Nov 25, 2011 9:31 AM EST via mobile reply actions
and promoters should stick to getting the best possible fights for their fighters…..
"The bell that tolls for all in boxing belongs to a cash register."
-Bob Verdi
by Waldo Rastel on Nov 25, 2011 12:20 PM EST up reply actions 2 recs
I agree with both of you but have you actually read both parts of the FightHype interview? Ariza is just plain obnoxious. Some of his criticisms are valid while some are idiotic. He just rubs me the wrong way, if I have to narrow it down to one thing it’s all the false bravado & tough guy talk like when he insinuates he’d physically hurt Arum. He trains great fighters & I just think he’s better served speaking on that rather than trying to talk like he’s a star fighter himself.
by soulrise on Nov 25, 2011 1:34 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
He’s a jackass, but his valid points are still valid.
Bad Left Hook
"To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day..."
by Scott Christ on Nov 25, 2011 1:58 PM EST up reply actions
Nothing better than jackasses with valid points, the bring so much to the table in the way of conversation.
http://fistonchin.com http://brightlightssports.com
Their jackass ways tend to distract from the
validity of their points though. And in Ariza’s case there’s a pretty strong ratio of valid to bs so it’s not like he’s this beacon of light speaking truth to power when it comes to boxing…
by soulrise on Nov 25, 2011 5:38 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
There is nobody in boxing who is a beacon of light speaking truth.
Bad Left Hook
"To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day..."
by Scott Christ on Nov 25, 2011 6:58 PM EST up reply actions
ariza says what many of us have been saying for a long while
"After this, I'm gonna kick Bob Arum's ass."
-George Lopez
by Eddie Gonzalez on Nov 25, 2011 12:34 PM EST reply actions
I remember a couple weeks ago before the Pacquaio —-Marquez fight, watching ESPN, and Bob Arum came out to the media saying that , Mayweather is a chicken, Mayweather is a coward, and that Mayweather is scared of Pacquaio’s Right Hand. He also said that all Mayweather had to do was say Pacquaio’s name and the fight would be made. But Floyd would never fight Manny because he’s scared.
My my, how times have changed. A week before Pacquaio lost to Marquez, Mayweather already came out and said he wanted the fight May 5. But now Arum is the one looking like a fool. He’s the one backtracking, and the one looking like he’s scared. And the good thing about this is that it is all on record, ;Talking about Arum’s comments a couple weeks ago.
Hey Waldo, I was trying to give you a rec for your comment above, but I think I hit flag instead. My bad.
"Winning is Everything"
Failure is not an Option
If you're not first, you're last
No worries. Maybe Scott will hit me with a banhammer, maybe not. We’ll see.
"The bell that tolls for all in boxing belongs to a cash register."
-Bob Verdi
by Waldo Rastel on Nov 25, 2011 12:46 PM EST up reply actions
Indeed we will.
Bad Left Hook
"To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day..."
by Scott Christ on Nov 25, 2011 1:03 PM EST up reply actions
+1
Finally the chickens are coming home to roost. Talk is cheap, I think Arum knows after a fight with Mayweather, that the gravy train is over, even with a win or lost what else is there? Maybe Marquez IV? Then that would probably be it.
And if Golden Boy and Mayweather promotions do make the fight, it kind of sends a message to other aging fighters on and off Top Ducks roster, that they can get into the promotion game, too. Maybe that few years further down the road, but it could be a viable concern.
And if Golden Boy and Mayweather promotions do make the fight, it kind of sends a message to other aging fighters on and off Top Ducks roster, that they can get into the promotion game, too. Maybe that few years further down the road, but it could be a viable concern.
Yeah, here’s the thing. Golden Boy succeeded because of Richard Schaefer first and foremost, and also Oscar bringing B-Hop, Marco Antonio Barrera and Shane Mosley on board early. Golden Boy was figured by everyone to fail gloriously. It did not, against all odds. But nobody else has approached that level. “Mayweather Promotions” is nothing. “They” promote Floyd, Jessie Vargas, and that’s about it. Oh and every time Floyd fights under the banner, it’s against a Golden Boy guy. It’s not like they’re out there putting in work and scouting and competing and holding a lot of shows. It’s a logo on a fight poster, same as Sugar Shane Mosley Promotions, or those thriving businesses from Winky Wright and Jeff Lacy. The difference is Mayweather is really popular and famous so his fights make a lot of money, probably enough to make him, in some way, the No. 3 promoter in the U.S. But It’s still a one-man show and hardly something someone would want to emulate unless they’re as famous as he is (and work consistently with a power promoter who does all the heavy lifting).
As successful as Golden Boy has been, the real promoter that aging fighters might want to look to is Ricky Hatton and Hatton Promotions. They’re not near that same level, and are still a second-tier UK promoter, but they’re taking it slow and building an actual company. Oscar had the advantage of good connections, friendships, a really smart guy helping him make it happen, and a lot of fucking money. Other guys don’t have that in their favor.
Bad Left Hook
"To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day..."
by Scott Christ on Nov 25, 2011 2:49 PM EST up reply actions
Very insightful...
I know Mayweather promotions is just for himself, but its one less big chunk out of his check to Bob Arum. I agree, you will need some kind of business consultant on their side. But if its something they want to do, its not completely ‘out of this world.’ I’m just saying you don’t have to be 100% reliable on one promotion company if they choose not to be, and if they are willing to make the risk they can maintain their lifestyle outside ring (granted, if they were successful inside the ring before).
If another couple of smart (Oscar isn’t “smart,” but he’s definitely smart enough to know he needed help to be a real promoter) ex-fighters get in the game, it could push out some of the second-tier promoters, or at least further marginalize them. I expect Top Rank (post-Arum) and Golden Boy to stay the top two for a good, long while, but there’s lots of room beneath those two companies for guys to start up.
Bad Left Hook
"To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day..."
by Scott Christ on Nov 25, 2011 3:54 PM EST up reply actions
A couple of smart ex-fighters is unfortunately a bit oxymoronic
Oscar was, like Ray Leonard before him, an exceptionally talented fighter in an age when the Olympics and the network coverage meant the world. That dynamic has changed. All eyes are not tuned to any one thing let alone boxing during the Olympics….so chances of a similar path are less likely.
Putting together a business that employs boxing people and smart businessmen is obviously not only a rare desire (lest there would be private equity managers doing so instead of buying sports franchises) but it is also far more difficult that it appears.
Oscar mores but Arum as well (at this point) are titular figureheads but still the face of their brands. We all know Schaefer is the former banker running the show and thank god for that. ODLH, who I loved as a fighter, ain’t exactly a Mensa….and the money behind him knows it.
But it is the Schaefer’s, the Moretti’s and the duBouf’s and their huge support of matchmakers, event planners, lawyers and promoters that are the straws that stir the pots at their respective companies.
As for athletes promoting themselves and organizing themselves, I’m not so sure. But for the rare exception, most are super talents in their field, not great executives and managers.
That ain’t a knock, it’s just a pattern. Always has been and I expect it will be.
"Silence is golden when you can't think of a good answer"
---- Muhammed Ali
Golden Boy is doing just fine but it’s original model of fighter owned and controlled company has slowly been replaced by a corporate entity, bigger but not unlike their competition.
Shane Mosely, Juan Manuel Marquez,and others have left…and the usual reaction when they do is to slam the door behind them. That isn’t to suggest that if the opportunity is presented, they may not return. But by the time they are behind their boxing prime, they will find the door pretty hard to open.
In other words, it’s not exactly a co-op.
"Silence is golden when you can't think of a good answer"
---- Muhammed Ali
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