By Radio Rahim
Strength and conditioning coach Justin Fortune is no fan of Alex Ariza. For several years, Fortune was the strength and conditioning coach for Manny Pacquiao. After a disagreement out with trainer Freddie Roach, Fortune left the team and he was replaced by Ariza.
In 2013, internal tension boiled over between Roach and Ariza - and Roach fired Ariza from the team. Ariza would soon join the ranks of trainer Robert Garcia. Among the fighters he trained in Garcia's gym was Brandon Rios, who fought Pacquiao in the fall of 2013. During the fight week for Pacquiao-Rios in Macau, there was verbal battle which became a physical confrontation, with concluded with Ariza shooting a front-kick to the chest of Roach.
Not long after, Fortune reunited with Pacquiao and Roach. And now Fortune will have the opportunity to go head to head with Ariza on May 2nd at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas - because Ariza is now the strength and conditioning coach for Floyd Mayweather Jr.
"He's not my nemesis, he's just a toolbox. He's using my sh*t from seven years ago, so this guy is no f***ing genius that's for sure. But, on a good note.....let me see him try to front-kick me in the f***ing chest and see what happens....spineless bastard. How do you do that to an old guy like Freddie, who has Parkinson's. And the best part was, when Freddie came forward he backed off like a little bitch - because if Freddie hits him he'll knock him the f*** out," Fortune told BoxingScene.com.
"Back on the idiot. Floyd is 47-0. What the f*** is Alex Ariza going to show Floyd Mayweather that his father and his uncle haven't shown him and Floyd doesn't know? With Pacquiao, I always have new stuff that I'm throwing in the mix that keeps shocking him back into shape. Plus he's happy because Manny has his team back together."
Some insiders believe Ariza was hired by Mayweather to play mind games with the Pacquiao camp. Fortune does not believe that theory.
"How's that? Nobody likes the f***ing guy. So as far as putting the cancer into your camp, and everyone in our camp is happy to get rid of the guy and no one liked him - where is the mind game? I fail to see where the mind game is there, because throwing that idiot out was the best thing that ever happened to this camp, because Pacquiao has been better in shape, happier and winning. That guy [Ariza] is just bad karma. So when you put him into Floyd's camp...good luck," Fortune said.
