Alex Ariza slams Bob Arum, claims Floyd Mayweather is ‘concerned’ about Manny Pacquiao’s low earnings in last fight
Alex Ariza, the former strength and conditioning coach of Manny Pacquiao, has stated that the Filipino champion should have earned more in his fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr.
According to Ariza via philboxing.com, Mayweather “was concerned about how much money Manny Pacquiao got. There were things that didn’t add up to Floyd, and Manny should have made much more than he got.”
Ariza’s recent statement can be a considered a jab against Pacquiao’s handler, Bob Arum, the president of Top Rank Promotions, which has promoted Pacquiao over the past decade. No figures have been officially confirmed by both fighters regarding the amount of their take home pay after taxes and promoters’ fees after the fight.
However, official records state that the Mayweather-Pacquiao bout generated over 4.4 million pay-per-view (PPV) buys, which shattered the old record of over just 2 million by a mile.
According to initial reports after the bout, Mayweather earned about US$220 million to US$230 million (AU$314.9 million to AU$329.21 million), while Pacquiao earned US$150 million (AU$214.7 million). However, Mayweather has his own promotion company, while Pacquiao is under Arum’s Top Rank, which has an unknown percentage of what Pacquiao has earned in the richest bout in the history of the sport.
In the same interview, Ariza also mentioned Arum’s lack of foresight with regards to Filipino boxers other than Pacquiao, saying that the long-time promoter has not given anything back to help the development of boxing in Pacquiao’s home country.
“I’ve been to a lot of gyms here and I see such tremendous talent it's so sad that after all the money made off Pacquiao they can’t give a little back,” Ariza added, referring to Arum and Top Rank.
Pacquiao is set to return to the ring, reportedly for the final time in his career, on April 9, 2016 at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada to battle American Timothy Bradley for the third time in their careers.