News: Arum already has Pacquiao scheduled for April 20th next year

09/14/201610/03/2012 ESB

News: Arum already has Pacquiao scheduled for April 20th next year By Dwight Chittenden: Top Rank promoter Bob Arum has already penciled in his number #1 money fighter Manny Pacquiao for April 20th of next year against a still to be determined opponent. Arum scheduling Pacquiao ahead of time isn’t really anything new, but it is perhaps an indication that Arum isn’t all that interested in putting Pacquiao in with Floyd Mayweather Jr.

It’s either that or Arum just doesn’t think a fight between Mayweather and Pacquiao is attainable by that date. Arum would likely know, as it’s pretty clear that Pacquiao won’t be getting a 50-50 deal with Mayweather if they fight next year. Arum has always insisted that Pacquiao deserves nothing less than a 50-50 deal. But by setting a date in early 2013, you could interpret as a signal that Arum is trying to give Mayweather the brush off because this move will surely do.

Arum said to the Manila Bulletin “I have talked with Manny and we agreed to hold this fight on April 20th.”

Arum excited about a Chavez Jr-Martinez rematch, sees it doing big business

09/14/201609/17/2012 ESB

Arum excited about a Chavez Jr-Martinez rematch, sees it doing big business By Michael Collins: Top Rank promoter Bob Arum sees nothing but dollar signs in proposed rematch between former WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (46-1-1, 32 KO’s) and Sergio Martinez (50-2-2, 28 KO’s) for early next year at the Cowboys Stadium in Texas. The pay per view numbers haven’t yet been released for last Saturday’s Chavez Jr-Martinez PPV fight but the word is that the fight did better than what the promoters Arum and Lou Dibella had hoped for.

Arum said to Examiner.com “They want to do an immediate rematch. This fight did unbelievable business. The next fight will do even bigger business.”

I don’t see it quite like Arum. I think the rematch will do well because Chavez Jr. is a popular fighter, and he’ll no doubt he able to pack the Cowboys Stadium with his devoted boxing fans from around the Texas area. However, I don’t think the Chavez Jr-Martinez rematch will do huge business on PPV, because the asking price was steep last Saturday night with a price tag of $49.99 for a card that was pretty much empty of big names and competitive fights.

Arum close to finalizing Pacquiao-Marquez 4, Roach not happy

09/14/201609/13/2012 ESB

Arum close to finalizing Pacquiao-Marquez 4, Roach not happy By Michael Collins: Top Rank promoter Bob Arum is close to putting the finishing touches on a fourth fight between Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez. The bout will take place on December 8th in Las Vegas for a still yet to be determined pay per view asking price. Count on it being in the $49.99 range.

Arum said to Dan Rafael at ESPN “We’re having a meeting about Manny’s next fight and to get it finalized. My goal is to finalize the Marquez fight, but I have to meet with [Michael Koncz].”

This might good news or bad news depending on whether you’re one of the fans that want to see Pacquiao fight Marquez for a fourth time. Hardcore boxing fans are getting a little tired of seeing Pacquiao fight Marquez again and again, but casual boxing fans seem to really like the fight judging by the 1.2 million fans that purchased tickets for the Pacquiao-Marquez III fight last November. With boxing fans continuing to show interest in seeing Pacquiao fight Marquez, Arum is likely going to keep this rivalry going until it no longer brings gold for Pacquiao, him and Marquez.

Arum not sure if Cotto wants Pacquiao fight

09/14/201608/31/2012 ESB

Arum not sure if Cotto wants Pacquiao fight By Marcus Richardson: Top Rank promoter Bob Arum says he’s not sure if former WBA junior middleweight champion Miguel Cotto (37-3, 30 KO’s) is interested in fighting his fighter Manny Pacquiao fight now, according to examiner.com. Arum thinks Cotto may go in another direction by taking an easy fight in December rather than taking what could be another tough fight against Pacquiao.

Arum obviously is interested in matching Pacquiao up against Cotto due to the high pay per view numbers that would result from that match-up. The previous Cotto-Pacquiao fight in 2009 drew 1.2 million buys, which is a lot more than Pacquiao’s last fight against Tim Bradley last June. That fight drew only 700,000 PPV buys. However, Arum wants Cotto to face Pacquiao at a catcweight of 150 pounds instead of the full weight for the division. Cotto might be eager to fight Pacquiao in another catchweight fight because their previous fight was also a catchweight fight at 145 lbs and Cotto took a beating.

At this point Cotto is popular enough to where he can’t be easily pressured into things like catchweights, rehydration limits, and glove sizes like he would have been in the past. If there is going to be a Cotto-Pacquiao fight, it’s likely going to be without a catchweight unless Arum can convince Cotto with a high money offer to get him to take the fight at that weight. It will have to be an awfully high offer and I can’t see Arum coming up with enough money to make the fight happen. That’s the bind that Arum and Pacquiao are in.