Bare Eye
Bob Arum honestly cares for the fans?
By Recah TrinidadPhilippine Daily Inquirer
There was, thanks in part to Miguel Cotto, relief for poor fight fans who got indefinitely pinned to the floor waiting for a go-signal to the Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Manny Pacquiao super fight.
But the day after he instantly leapt into the lead of the Pacquiao derby, Cotto bluntly offered to be stricken off the list.
There was no way Cotto would again allow himself to be victim of the Team Pacquiao catchweight trap.
The reigning world junior middleweight champion also did not want to be party to the pestering Pacquiao-Mayweather verbal sparring.
* * *
Yesterday, talks about the Pacquiao-Mayweather fight, momentarily shelved, was in full circulation again.
Gullible fans, as a result, have again been caught on the receiving end of topsy-turvy negotiations.
As expected, the prognosis among experts was that talks would head nowhere—with accusing fingers pointing to the grizzled Bob Arum.
* * *
Uncle Bob, as enamored sports media addressed Arum, has been identified as the main hurdle to the projected super fight.
Suspicion that Arum was out to initially cancel the big bout came after Mayweather called out Pacquiao to challenge him to a May 5 fight.
Arum coolly turned down that challenge.
* * *
Arum also allegedly provided succeeding road blocks to the dream duel.
Yesterday, there were reports Arum was willing to put up Pacquiao in a May 26 bout against Mayweather.
This was however viewed as another cheap ploy.
Commented Tim Harrison of The Boxing Tribune:
“With the mainstream media finally catching on to Arum’s elaborate game of three-card monty, his well of excuses has run dry and he has resorted to now denying he is even aware of who to negotiate with on Mayweather’s side.”
Golden Boy Promotions, bitter rival of Arum’s Top Rank, staged Mayweather’s last five bouts.
* * *
Continued Harrison: “Arum’s excuses have varied, from working with mysterious investors, to acquiring additional time for Pacquiao to heal from a cut, to the need of a temporary stadium in Las Vegas.”
Harrison also charged that, in summary, Arum has been leading captive media around by the nose for years.
* * *
Anyway, based on Mayweather’s latest tweet, his fight with Pacquiao could have been a reality way back-given a little honesty.
“I am ready to fight Pacquiao
May 5, 2012, Bob Arum knows the date cannot be changed. I have my guarantee, call Golden Boy and stop lying to the public.”
Added Mayweather: “First, they said I was ducking the fight, but now it seems like I am begging for the fight.”
What’s going on?
Lance Pugmire of the Los Angeles Times tried to verify Arum’s claim that Mayweather had no (purse) guarantee for the Pacquiao fight.
“De La Hoya poured water on contentions of Arum that Mayweather needed someone to step in and guarantee Mayweather a certain amount of money for the fight, and that it’s best to work toward a late May, early June date so a 40,000-seat outdoor can be constructed in the Las Vegas Strip,” Pugmire wrote.
Explained De La Hoya: “Mayweather guarantees his own purses … the 40,000-seat venue is baloney. Have we ever needed a 40,000 venue for me? When I fought Julio Cesar Chavez Sr., we could’ve filled a 100,000-seat venue… How greedy do we have to be? The MGM Grand is right there. There’s enough money to go around, we don’t have to be pigs here.”
Countered Arum: “Oscar’s so stupid to say Mayweather doesn’t need a guarantee. You’d have to be stupid not to guarantee with this kind of money. We are not talking chump change.”
Arum said making the fight available to the most number of possible people is not being greedy or a pig.
“It’s advancing your sport, being fan-friendly.”
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Tags: Boxing , Floyd Mayweather Jr. , Golden Boy Promotions , Manny Pacquiao , Miguel Cotto , Oscar Dela Hoya , Sports , Top Rank
