Amir Khan comfortably acclimatising with new strength and conditioning coach
After a bitter dispute with known strength and conditioning coach Alex Ariza, Briton fighter Amir Khan finds himself acclimatising with the ways of his new trainer Ruben Tabares. Surprisingly, Khan, who has worked with Ariza throughout his entire career, feels his new trainer is astoundingly good.
“Camp is going really well. Ruben Tabares is doing a great job getting me ready for this fight and some of the new concepts and ideas he’s brought in for this camp are working really well. He’s a top conditioner as he proved with David Haye and it’s really good working with him,” words stated by the former IBF and WBA light welterweight champion Amir Khan while revealing about his training camp.
While Khan seems to be confident that his new trainer is good enough, most analysts are of the view that no one can replace Alex Ariza, as he is considered the best in the business. Probably, this is the reason why former WBO welterweight titlist Manny Pacquiao did not do the same.
Khan’s dispute with Ariza initiated when the latter left the Baguio City, where Khan was sparring with Manny Pacquiao and Freddie Roach. Out of the three, only Pacquiao was the person who was not furious over Ariza’s actions. Roach and Khan, both were red hot over what Ariza had done. Back then, Khan was just two weeks away from his grand rematch against Lamont Peterson for the IBF and WBA unified titles.
Ariza left the camp to work with Julio Cesar Chavez, a decision that did not sit well with Khan. Later on, in a media interaction, Ariza revealed that he had taken permission from Manny Pacquiao to leave the camp. This statement from Ariza hit Khan in the head. Khan was part of the camp and he did not like Ariza overlooking his importance against Pacquiao, regardless of the fact that Pacquiao was the number priority of both, Roach and Ariza.
Even Roach was furious over Ariza’s decision and he recommended Manny Pacquiao to fire Ariza but the Filipino overruled the decision.
For now, Khan is in Los Angeles, training for his fight against Danny Garcia for the WBC and WBA light welterweight titles. The WBA light welterweight title is held by Garcia, whereas the WBA light welterweight title is vacant after Lamont Peterson was stripped off it.
Khan seems excited, he revealed, “I’m in the middle of camp, grinding away in the heat of Los Angeles to get ready, and make sure I’m at my very best, when I take on Danny Garcia next month. I’ve been back in LA for a week since returning from Vegas where I was with Freddie Roach for Manny’s fight with Timothy Bradley.”
Khan’s bout against Garcia is now a unification bout. The Pakistani-British pugilist has to ensure victory in order to not only unify the titles but to also re-establish his brand.
At such a crucial stage of his life, Khan has decided to work with a new strength and conditioning. The decision can either work very well for him or completely prove to be a hazardous one. According to Khan, Ruben is focusing more on drills and strength gaining than other aspects, something that Ariza overlooked most of the time.
It is a change in Khan’s routine. Gaining more muscle mass and focusing more on speed can slow down Khan in the ring. The question here is whether Khan is willing to give up his speed for strength.
Amir Khan fights Danny Garcia on the 14th of July in Las Vegas. To get a chance of winning FREE tickets to the fight, go to http://contest.wishfree.com/amirkhan/.
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