Strength trainer Alex Ariza, the newest member of “The Money Team” and used to work with Manny Pacquiao, had truly harsh words for Top Rank CEO Bob Arum regarding the real reason Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Pacquiao has never happened.
Arum has responded to those comments, and placed the blame at Mayweather’s doorstep.
"Everybody involved wants this fight, just like the fans," Arum said. "We've signed off on every point. We've agreed to everything. But push comes to shove, there's one guy to blame.”
Arum said Mayweather is protective of the zero in his loss column, and believes Pacquiao poses the greatest possible threat to it. His reasoning didn’t focus on Pacquiao’s speed, power or bizarre punching angles though.
"He doesn't want to fight southpaws," Arum said of Mayweather. "The worst possible opponent for him is Pacquiao. He's afraid to lose." Arum also said Mayweather is using him as a “scapegoat.”
Ariza was adamant that no fight between Mayweather and Pacquiao until Arum is out of the picture. “It's not going to happen. We're fighting May 2nd but it's not going to be Manny Pacquiao. Hopefully eventually Bob Arum will blow away in the wind or whatever. As soon as we get rid of him, we can get it on.”
Ariza also predicted that Pacquiao’s next fight will be against Jessie Vargas, while saying he’d be interested in seeing Mayweather face Miguel Cotto. He did not have specifics on Mayweather’s talks but insisted that Arum is an insurmountable obstacle.
“But as long as Bob Arum is in the picture you’re not going to see this [Mayweather-Pacquiao) fight. All I know is Floyd wants this fight more than ever. This is something he’s trying, but it’s impossible to work with Bob…He’s never going to let it happen.”
To the dismay of boxing fans Mayweather appeared to validate Ariza’s brash comments by retweeting a video and giving him thanks.
Thanks for setting the record straight, Alex Ariza. https://t.co/coE4KzuCxI #TheMoneyTeam
— Floyd Mayweather (@FloydMayweather) January 22, 2015
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