Patrons of the plausible clash over combat sports

The two top patrons of the plausible that their respective combat sport will someday cancel each other out in the hearts of fight fans, clashed verbally the other day.

It’s all because one is resuming pay-per-view bouts ahead of the other while the world is ravaged by the corona virus pandemic.

Ultimate Fighting Championshio (UFC) president Dana White has launched a loud assault on Top Rank CEO Bob Arum after the Hall of Fame promoter said he had “little respect” for White while expressing “concern for the health and safety of those involved in running the fights.”

White has scheduled three PPV events in May without fans in attendance, including UFC 249 in Jacksonville, Florida, this Saturday night (Sunday morning in Manila.)

“Good luck to them,“ Arum, Manny Pacquiao’s ex-promoter, said through boxingscene.com. “I just hope that they are not endangering the safety of anyone. But this cowboy behavior doesn’t do anybody any good.”

While noting that COVID-19 has halted all sports events on earth, Arum said: “I think the behavior of people in sports we should be following are (commissioner) Adam Silver of the NBA (National Basketball Association), (commissioner) Roger Goodell of the NFL (National Football League), people who are proceeding cautiously safely, not people who are acting like cowboys.”

On the UFC’s Unfiltered podcast, White lashed at Arum: “This guy has been talking sh-t about me and the UFC for 20 years. He’s f—king bankrupt this guy. Of course you don’t want to put fights on. You can’t afford to put fights on you fu—king jackoff,” White fumed. You’ve been in this thing your whole life and have completely destroyed the business and the sport.”

Edgar Picson, executive director of the Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines (Abap) reports that because of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in Metro Manila and adjoining regions, the face-to-face meeting between Tokyo Olympics-bound national middleweight fighter Eumir Felix Marcial and Abap president Ricky Vargas has not happened.

Marcial is being lured by at least three boxing “managers” to sign a lucrative contract even before he even throws a punch in the Summer Games next year.

In a video conference with Vargas recently, Marcial reportedly made it abundantly clear that he’s bent on turning pro. But he also assured that he will stick with the Abap and its prorgram until the Tokyo Olympics.

More on Marcial in a succeeding column.