By Lem Satterfield

Strength trainer Alex Ariza has a hunch about who started the recent rumors about his alleged ouster as an assistant to five-time Trainer of The Year, Freddie Roach, and as conditioner to eight-division titlist and WBO welterweight (147 pounds) champion Manny Pacquiao. Ariza is scheduled to help prepare Pacquiao (52-3-2, 38 KOs) for his May 7 bout against three-division, five-time champion Shane Mosley (46-6-1, 39 KOs).

Ariza believes the rumors of his firing by Pacquiao began with the fighter's adviser, Michael Koncz, and were later spread by the fighter's cutman, Miguel Diaz.

"From what I'm understanding, and from what was told to me, and what we figured out tonight, it was started by Michael Koncz. Manny said that he never said anything. I told him that they had said that what Freddie had told me was that Manny wanted a cut man instead of a strength and conditioning coach," Ariza said.

"So Freddie had already given me the heads-up that, 'Alex, something is rotten in Denmark, Michael's probably trying to get you fired again.' I would just say that it was brought to my attention that the rumors started with Michael Koncz. The information, from what was told to me tonight, was that it came from Michael Koncz."

Ariza and Koncz had been involved in a physical confrontation around November of 2009, when Pacquiao was preparing to face Miguel Cotto for the WBO welterweight title.

"Freddie said that Michael had told him that Manny wanted to have me removed from the corner. So I went back and I asked Manny, and Manny was like, 'I don't know what you're talking about.' So then I said, 'Michael just went to Freddie and said that you want me out of the corner.' He goes, 'No, I did not.' And that's when I f**king lost it," Ariza said.

"I went and I f**king smacked him. I smacked him good. That was the end of it. At the time, there were some secret service guys or government body guards or whatever and they jumped on me."

Lem Satterfield is the boxing editor at AOL FanHouse and the news editor at BoxingScene.com. To read more from Lem Satterfield, go to AOL FanHouse by Clicking Here .

Tags: Manny Pacquiao , Alex Ariza , Michael Koncz