source: Abac Cordero | philstar.com

Bob Arum is in no hurry to make Manny Pacquiao vs Floyd Mayweather happen. Following great anticipation of some solid news regarding the superfight, the ageless chief of Top Rank Promotions yesterday said that if it ever happens, it could happen in the latter part of 2012.

“It doesn’t necessarily have to be May 5th,” Arum told The Examiner.

One of Pacquiao’s advisers, Wakee Salud, yesterday said it could happen in October.

“If Floyd wants to fight Pacquiao, maybe another day is preferable, given the fact that Pacquiao had a serious cut in the last fight, so there is no magic in May 5th, but there is magic in Pacquiao-Mayweather fight,” Arum added.

Pacquiao is just coming off a tough 12-round decision over Juan Manuel Marquez, and the other night he still carried the scar of the brutal bout over his right eye.

Mayweather, the undefeated American, had announced weeks back that he’d be returning to action on May 5, following a quick demolition of Victor Ortiz last September, and said he was hoping to fight the “little fella.”

This fueled speculations that Mayweather wants Pacquiao next, and the Filipino superstar and pound-for-pound champion himself said he wants the fight to happen.

News kept coming that negotiations are on between Pacquiao and Mayweather, and Pacquiao’s chief adviser, Mike Koncz, even paid the 34-year-old American a visit in his gym in Las Vegas two weeks ago.

Pacquiao then said “only the small things” are being worked on regarding highly awaited showdown with Mayweather, but the other night he hinted about other possibilities.

“We’re still working on my next fight. It could be Mayweather, Marquez or (Timothy) Bradley,” he told Manila scribes.

Pacquiao’s statement should put a halt to all the excitement that his next fight is the one everybody wants to see.

“Wala pa (Nothing yet),” he said.

Boxing scribe Michael Marley even mentioned the possibility of Mayweather taking on Miguel Cotto next, and it was also written that Pacquiao may face Cotto in a rematch.

“Nobody has a date for anything. That’s nonsense. The question is if Floyd Mayweather-Pacquiao fight can be arranged,” Arum told The Examiner.

“(The) Public wants that fight and certainly we at Top Rank want that fight. Manny wants that fight and I believe Floyd wants that fight, so why wouldn’t I be optimistic,” Arum also said.

Suddenly, everything is up in the air.

source: abs-cbnnews.com

Boxing trainer Freddie Roach says it is time for boxing promoters Bob Arum of Top Rank and Richard Schaefer of Golden Boy Promotions to get their act together and put up the most-awaited fight in the sport.

Roach has made no secret of his desire to see his prized ward, Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao, take on undefeated American Floyd Mayweather Jr., in what will be one of the biggest fights in the history of boxing.

“I want to see Mayweather for Pacquiao,” he said in an interview with RingTV, adding that boxing fans want to see that fight. “I think we need to give the people what they want.”

Pacquiao has confirmed that negotiations for the mega-fight are taking place, while Arum says he is fielding offers from potential investors. Arum has said that Golden Boy is not involved in the negotiations.

But Golden Boy President Oscar de la Hoya claimed that Arum was lying about the negotiations, and said that Arum should call Schaefer to get the ball rolling for the negotiations.

Schaefer is the chief executive officer of Golden Boy.

Roach, for his part, says he understands the difficulty of putting on the Pacquiao-Mayweather fight, especially because of the bad blood between Arum and de la Hoya.

“The thing is, this is not personal. This is business,” he said. “I hate when personal feelings get brought into the equation.”

“It’s stupid. The thing is that Bob Arum and Don King didn’t always get along, but they did business,” Roach added. “There’s no reason that they (Schaefer and Arum) shouldn’t be able to make it happen.”

As for his message to Arum and Schaefer, Roach said: “They’re two adults, and they’re both logical people. They should give the people what the people want.”

source: gmanetwork.com

The bout between Filipino boxing icon Sarangani Rep. Emmanuel “Manny” Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. may push through in 2012 once financial issues are ironed out, promoter Bob Arum said on Monday.

In an interview over radio dzBB on Monday, Arum said, “We’ve been talking to various investor groups … It’s a lot of money and we want to make the best deal possible. People are talking about putting up huge amounts of money to get involved in the fight and that’s what we’re exploring now.”

When asked if he sees the fight pushing through in 2012, he said, “yes.”

However, when asked when the fight will take place, he did not specify a date.

When asked if there are no other “insurmountable issues” except getting the right financial package, Arum said, “that’s correct.”

Arum also refused to say how much was involved in the talks.

“We have been working diligently talking to investment groups,” he said.

“I don’t know when. That’s to be determined. we have to see if the people talking to us come up with the money are talking to us and we have to see if it’s acceptable to both sides. So it’s one step at a time. But these things take time,” he said.

Asked if Pacquiao could be fighting someone else than Mayweather, Arum said, “not if we can get the Mayweather fight done.”

Meanwhile, Arum also belied reported claims by Pacquiao’s trainer Alex Ariza that he was blocking the Pacquiao-Mayweather bout.

Arum said Ariza is “not part of the talks.” – VVP, GMA News

source: abs-cbnnews.com

Boxing’s top promoters, Bob Arum of Top Rank and Oscar de la Hoya of Golden Boy, seem to be headed for another feud following last weekend’s bout between Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Peter Manfredo.

Moments after Chavez knocked out Manfredo to remain undefeated, Arum took a swipe at de la Hoya, saying “Look, I don’t want to take a shot at Oscar, but he spends more time tweeting than promoting.”

De la Hoya has been active on the social networking site Twitter since his retirement, often providing his followers with commentary on boxing matches and sharing his opinion on current fighters.

Arum said that he is interested in putting a fight between Chavez Jr and de la Hoya, who had defeated Chavez Jr’s father, Julio Cesar Chavez Sr.

“That would be a huge fight given that Oscar beat Chavez Sr twice when he was towards the end of his career. Now it is kind of reversed and I think Chavez Jr. would be very interested in fighting Oscar,” Arum was quoted as saying by Boxing Scene.

But de la Hoya did not seem open to the idea, tweeting “Can someone remind Bob Arum that I’m retired?”

“Bob Arum is older now and not thinking right, so I respect that. But what I don’t respect is he’s trying to take boxing down with his sinking,” he added.

Arum and de la Hoya agreed to a truce earlier this year. The two promoters expressed their willingness to work together and promote bigger boxing matches, but their recent comments may cause that truce to fall apart anew.

On his way out

De La Hoya also informed his Twitter followers that Arum was “on his way out of boxing.”

“Don’t worry people, once Arum is not promoting anymore, I will make sure the sport I dearly believe and love will resurge to its glory days,” he tweeted.

“If it was up to me and Bob Arum wasn’t around, Golden Boy would do (Manny) Pacquiao vs (Floyd) Mayweather, Chavez Jr. vs (Sergio) Martinez, and Brandon Rios vs (Marcos) Maidana,” de la Hoya added.

The former Olympic gold medalist also criticized Arum for blocking the potential Pacquiao-Mayweather mega-fight.

“I will criticize him for not wanting to make PAC vs mayweather,” de la Hoya said.

De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions co-promotes Mayweather’s bouts.

source: abs-cbnnews.com

Top Rank chief executive officer Bob Arum believes that Juan Manuel Marquez is a bigger threat to Manny Pacquiao than Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Pacquiao is preparing for his third bout with Marquez on Saturday (Sunday in Manila). Mayweather has hinted that he will fight Pacquiao next year, but Arum said the American boxer is only seeking attention.

“In truth, tomorrow night, Marquez has great a danger for Manny than Floyd Mayweather would ever have,” he said during an interview on CNN’s “Piers Morgan Tonight” show on Friday (Saturday in Manila).

“Marquez has a style which gives Manny problems which hopefully Freddie (Pacquiao’s trainer, Freddie Roach) and Manny have worked with,” he added.

Last month, Arum said Mayweather is scared of fighting Pacquiao because the Filipino boxing champ is capable of ending his undefeated streak.

Asked how much money they can make from promoting a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight if it ever happened, Arum said in jest, “If I can make that fight happen, then the US government might send me over to bring about peace in the mid-east because I got a guy in Mayweather who won’t fight Manny Pacquiao.”

“He (Mayweather) has two ways to go in the fight. He can fight Manny the way a couple of opponents have fought him, get hit, quit and go into his shell. Or fight him like Cotto and Margarito did, keep coming and get the hell beaten out of him.

“He has those two choices and those two choices only. And no money that anybody could come up with can make him step into the ring with Manny.”

Pacquiao on beating Mayweather: It’s hard to say

Pound-for-pound king Pacquiao said it is “hard to say” if he can beat Mayweather.

He was quick to add, however, that he is willing to fight Mayweather or any other fighter given to him by his promoter.

“It’s hard to say. Of course he’s (Mayweather) a boxer and I’m a boxer. Hard to say right now,” the Filipino boxing champ said.

“I’m not [comparing] my record to anybody. I’m [just] happy that I’m one of [those people] giving excitement, an exciting fight to the fans of boxing.”

Pacquiao is an eight-division world champion. The undefeated Mayweather, who had a controversial fourth-round victory over Victor Ortiz last September, is currently the World Boxing Council welterweight champion.

Asked if he is looking forward to fighting Mayweather, Pacquiao said, “I never… Right now, I’m not thinking of that.”

Roach: Pacquiao will give Mayweather a fit

Unlike Pacquiao, trainer Freddie Roach is confident that his prized ward will be the first boxer to defeat Mayweather.

“I look at him sometimes and I say Mayweather averages 15 punches a round, and Manny averages 85 a round. Can an 85 guy lose to a 15? I don’t think so,” he reiterated.

“Thing is, Manny’s accuracy and southpaw style will give Mayweather a fit,” he added.

Roach also noted that Pacquiao “is perfect at this point.”

“When he’s in attack mode, he has perfect focus. He sees everything coming at him. It’s one of the most important weapons that people don’t realize. That’s one of the best things about Manny Pacquiao,” he explained.

“He’s like a son to me. He was young when he first came to me. Now he’s grown into a young man and now he makes his own decisions.”

Roach earlier said that he wants Pacquiao to fight Mayweather after his bout with Marquez, then retire.

“I’d like to get Mayweather next, beat him and call it a day,” Roach said in an interview with Boxing Scene.

“That’ll be the icing on the cake.”

source: Francis T.J. Ochoa | inquirer.net

HOLLYWOOD—Bob Arum let the question hang in the air for just a split second, repeating it almost as if to build some sense of incredulity to highlight the seeming senselessness of it all.

“Do you know the ‘little fellow’ that they approached?” the unsinkable Top Rank chief said in front of reporters Saturday afternoon, referring to reports out of the camp of Floyd Mayweather Jr. that it was setting a fight date with a “little fellow” on May, describing it as the biggest possible bout that could be forged.

The teaser titillated boxing circles that thought Pacquiao-Mayweather had finally been penciled next year.

“It’s Erik Morales,” Arum said, deflating the suspense and then lashing out at the decision of the Mayweather camp to chase a fighter other than Pacquiao.

“Erik will confirm it. He’s been approached to make the fight and he’ll take it for the money,” Arum said. “But I don’t know who’s going to buy it.”

Mayweather continues to bring up drug testing protocols to deflect a matchup against the reigning pound-for-pound king, despite the fact that the Pacquiao camp has already said it is amenable to that part of the undefeated American’s demands.

“He has no intention of fighting Manny,” Arum said. “He was on television last night and they asked him, ‘Why don’t you fight Pacquiao?’ And he says, ‘Take the test, take the test.’

“What the f*** is he talking about?” Arum lashed out. “Everybody knows that’s not an issue anymore. He will not fight Manny. Who cares? There are better guys out there for Manny to fight.”

Arum accused the Mayweather camp of resorting to “b*llsh*t” to get MGM Grand to agree to reserving May 5 for the fight by floating the “biggest possible bout” angle. But the Pacquiao promoter said it wasn’t a worrisome development.

May 5 is generally a sought-after date if a Latino fighter is involved in the main card, which would be the case if Arum’s Mayweather-Morales revelation is true. But it would not hurt Top Rank because Pacquiao is not being lined up “to fight a Spanish guy.”

“They want May 5 because they’re fighting Morales,” Arum explained.

Arum, however, said they’re not looking ahead at Pacquiao’s next opponent just yet.

source: Abac Cordero | philstar.com

There’s really no guarantee that Manny Pacquiao can knock Juan Manuel Marquez out on Nov. 12 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

That’s one thing Bob Arum, who knows everything in boxing, can guarantee.

“When did Marquez ever get knocked out?” he asked.

Well, Marquez, at 38 probably the oldest Mexican champion out there, has been down a number of times, four times against Pacquiao.

But knocked out? Never.

“I don’t remember,” Arum continued.

He said while everybody around Pacquiao, including his legions of fans, is calling for a knockout, it’s really easier said than done.

Pacquiao is the only one who’s saying he’s not going for it, and if it comes, then it’s just comes as a bonus.

“Sure, Manny wants to get him knocked out. But he won’t say because he doesn’t know if he can do it,” Arum said.

It’s not because the 32-year-old Pacquiao doesn’t have the power to finish off Marquez out this time. But the big question is if he’ll ever get the chance to do it.

“We all thought Manny would knock Shane Mosley out,” said Arum of Pacquiao’s unanimous win over the American welterweight last May.

Pacquiao floored Mosley in the third round but after that Mosley, who’s also never been knocked out before, ran away.

Arum is only saying that fans can be in for a long, cold night in Las Vegas.

“When the fight was over, I said to him (Mosley), ‘What the hell were you doing?’” Arum narrated.

“And he (Mosley) said, ‘Nobody in my entire career had hit me like that and he hurt me so bad I didn’t want to get hit again. That’s something.’

“In other words, Shane had fought some good, heavy-handed boxers like Margarito or Cotto but nobody hit him as hard as Pacquiao,” Arum said.

Of course, Antonio Margarito and Miguel Cotto, the big guys, had gone through the hands of Pacquiao and ended up wearing Halloween masks.

“That tells me something. (Joshua) Clottey said the same thing when I said, ‘Why didn’t you fight him? You embarrassed everybody,’” Arum went on.

“And Joshua said, ‘When he (Pacquiao) hit me with that right hand in the first round, I knew I’ve never been hit like that in my life.’”

Arum believes in Pacquiao’s tremendous power. And still he can’t guarantee a knockout for the world’s greatest boxer today.

It’s all up to Marquez whether or not he wants to get knocked out.

source: abs-cbnnews.com

Top Rank Inc. chief Bob Arum revealed that there was an offer to put up a super fight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. in Singapore.
“We had some rich guys from Singapore who wanted to do Mayweather-Pacquiao. They wanted to host the fight,” the boxing promoter said in Examiner.com.

But Arum said Mayweather, as usual, declined the fight.

“Mayweather refused to go there because he said the people there are just like Manny, that they are the same,” claimed Arum.

Arum said he still tried convincing Mayweather.

“Of course, these guys are Chinese, not Filipino, but Mayweather said, ‘No, they are all the same, they are all Asians and all Asians are the same.”

Arum did not mention in the report when the Singapore offer took place.

Boxing fans have been raving for a blockbuster bout between two champions.

Mayweather, however, repeatedly declined to fight Pacquiao by insisting that the Filipino should take a drug test.

Pacquiao, who already agreed to take the test, loss interest in the super fight because of Mayweather’s continuous refusal.

See the article here:
Media Interview with Nonito Donaire | BoxingInsider.com – Boxing | Boxing News