Conditonining coach Alex Ariza now wants to make sure Manny Pacquiao will be mentally prepared to meet the world’s best welterweight champion in Miguel Cotto.

This was how Ariza reacted when told about HBO’s boxing primer “24/7” that purportedly showed clips of Cotto having some trouble in losing weight.

Ariza, in a telephone conversation with the Bulletin last Wednesday said he is making Pacquiao ignore every insinuation about Cotto supposedly struggling to make their agreed catch weight of 145lbs.

The last three weekends HBO showed three of their four-part, all-access TV special to promote the 12-round world welterweight bout between Pacquiao and Cotto this weekend. In part three, HBO focused on Ariza’s verbal jabs with Pacquiao’s controversial Canadian adviser Michael Koncz.

“24/7 depicted that we’re having trouble in camp but were not. They’re making it look like he’s having trouble making weight but maybe he really isn’t. It’s really hard to say with little clips like that,” said Ariza.

As stipulated in their contract Cotto would have to pay $1-million for every excess pound during the weigh-in scheduled a day before the November 14 fight.

Though they’ve watched all three series so far, Ariza feels confident that Pacquiao never relied on the show as a basis of dissecting potential weaknesses of Cotto.

“Manny exudes confidence in the sense that he knows there’s no luck in this business. I think Cotto’s going to be Manny’s toughest fight for the reason that he’s a seasoned champion and he’s the big strong guy,” added Ariza. “But ultimately I believe Manny will be the bigger man on the scale and we’re going to be bigger that night.”

Meantime both Cotto and Pacquiao formally made their Las Vegas arrival when they entered the site of their battle, the MGM Grand Garden.

Before lunch in Las Vegas Pacquiao made his entrance at the hotel’s lobby and was mobbed by a throng of well-wishers. After moments of testing the ring Pacquiao sat with mediamen and had a 15 minute Q&A.

“I believe in myself. I don’t want to say anything before the fight, but will wait until the ring,” said Pacquiao. “My motivation? I am fighting for the people who love boxing.”

An hour later Cotto appeared and was himself warmly welcomed by his own supporters.

Cotto initially fended of questions about the penchant of the Pacquiao camp in talking about future marquee fights with Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez and Americans Shane Mosley and Floyd Mayweather, Jr.

“Manny is the only thing in my mind right now,” said Cotto. (Tempo Sports News)