By Jhonny Gonzalez
Alex Ariza, the strength and conditioning coach of WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao, admits that his fighter lacked the proper focus during the last few weeks of training. There were a lot of distractions in the Philippines. Ariza is hoping things can change now that Pacquiao's camp has switched to the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles, California, but their time to make things right is running out.
Pacquiao's job in the Philippine Congress was a clear distraction as they tried to have the best camp in their power. Pacquiao's trainer Freddie Roach called it the "worst camp that I've ever had with Manny." Both Roach and Ariza are expecting things to pick in Los Angeles.
"The training has not been as strong and there were a lot of distractions, but now we are here, in Los Angeles, and things can change. But there is not a lot of time remaining for us but here were are," Ariza told Sal Rodriguez.
"Pacquiao is having a lot of fun with his new job [in Congress] but now that we are in Los Angeles we expect that things will change. We can now be more focused. We will continue working. Things did not go as planned [in the Philippines] but I still expect Manny to win."
