Boxing News: Alex Ariza On Joining Brandon Rios' Camp: “Manny Pacquiao Left Me”

Alex Ariza claimed that he did not leave Manny Pacquiao and that it was the former pound-for-pound king who left him, leaving him no choice but to look for other fighters to train.

In an interview with Ronnie Nathanielz as reported by Boxingscene, Ariza, the former strength and conditioning coach of Pacquiao, said that he learned about his firing from Kevin Iole, a writer who was informed by Freddie Roach about their decision through an internet chat.

"Manny could have called me himself and told me over the phone in a dignified, professional and affectionate manner, and said 'Hey bro, I don't want to have any trouble in my camp at this time, I'm just going to let you go.' He didn't have to wait. He could have told me months ago instead of waiting for the last minute. He was not the one who did it he let Freddie do it over an internet chat," Ariza said.

Ariza also added that he tried to reach out to Pacquiao and he wanted to tell him that there are offers to him from several camps, but got no response from the former Filipino champion.

"Nobody had the decency to even call me. I left him [Pacquiao] several messages that someone was reaching out to me to work. I wanted to call him and tell him, but got no response. I didn't leave him. He left me," Ariza pointed out.

Ariza claimed that the decision of Pacquiao's camp to part ways with him left him with no choice but to accept the best offer on the table, which was, curiously, from Pacquiao's next opponent - Brandon "Bam Bam" Rios.

Rios will face the biggest challenge of his career when he collides with Pacquiao in a 12-round showdown on Nov. 24 in Macau, which will also serve as Pacquiao's comeback fight after he suffered two straight defeats.

However, despite the facts that he will be competing against his former trainee and that he was fired in an unprofessional manner, Ariza expressed gratitude to Pacquiao.

"I am grateful for what he did for me," Ariza said. "When Kevin Iole called me and told me I was fired, I said I respect Manny if that's what he wants. I don't want to make it complicated I want the best for him and planned to take a vacation and spend some time with my family."