26.09.07 – Lee Samuels: Greetings everyone. This is an historic day, very, very exciting for both companies. We have Oscar De La Hoya and Bob Arum here together to talk about “Will to Win”, Manny Pacquiao against Marco Antonio Barrera. That fight is scheduled for October 6th, Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, live on HBO pay-per-view. Ticket sales are phenomenal. Both fighters are ready for action, and we’re going to talk about this fight today. First up, I’m going to introduce the President of Golden Boy Promotions, here he is, Oscar De La Hoya. Oscar?
Oscar De La Hoya: Thank you very much, everyone, to be on today’s conference call. The “Will to Win” October 6th — the historic showdown between Manny Pacquiao and Marco Antonio Barrera. Barrera’s in tremendous shape and he has prepared for this fight the same way he did for a Naseem Hamed or an Erik Morales.Fights where Barrera went in as the underdog and came out the winner. There’s no really other fighter who can get up for fights like Marco Antonio Barrera. The question is, can Marco Antonio Barrera turn back the clock again?
We’ll hear from him on tomorrow’s conference call directly on that subject. Has Manny been distracted, just like Barrera was the first time around? You know, running for Congress in the Philippines and getting his own TV show, for instance.
Considered obviously by most, more popular that the President, and those can be distractions, and can Manny handle that? These are some of the questions that he’s going to have to answer October 6th. This fight will be live from the Mandalay Bay.
Tickets are still available but we are close to a sellout and it will be televised on HBO pay-per-view. One thing’s for sure is you don’t want to miss this fight. So it is my pleasure now to introduce to you our partner in this fight, Bob Arum.
Bob Arum: Thank you very much, Oscar. I also am very, very excited with this fight. Nobody has to tell me about Marco Antonio Barrera. I know that when his back is to the wall, he’s most dangerous. When people begin to count him out, he’s at his best.
He is a consummate warrior and because of his style, his experience, his ability, poses a tremendous challenge for Manny Pacquiao. Manny, as you all know, has been training in the Philippines. He arrived in Los Angeles Saturday evening. Freddie Roach reports to me that the training went very, very well in the Philippines.
Yes, there’s a lot of distractions but hey, there were distractions for Manny when he trained in the United States. He’s so popular with his Filipino fans.
But, nobody, and I mean nobody, trains as hard for a fight as Manny Pacquiao does, and he’s in great shape, and I’ll be going to Los Angeles this afternoon to be with him and to welcome him to the country.
We’ll be on a conference call later this week and you can talk directly to him about his training. So, we’re looking forward to this fight. What Oscar told you is absolutely echoed by us. This should be one of the classic, classic battles. Two of the greatest warriors of our time, Marco Antonio Barrera and Manny Pacquiao.
Franklin McNeil: Oscar, when I talked to you about Marco and going into this fight with a new trainer, it’s something you’ve done in your career. How difficult is it going into a fight with a new trainer against a fighter this tough, as Manny Pacquiao?
Oscar De La Hoya: It’s not difficult at all. When you’re such an experienced fighter like Marco Antonio Barrera, you’re already an established fighter, and so the trainer knows that going in. So what I believe Marco Antonio Barrera wanted to do here was to kind of have that trainer motivate him some more and bring in something fresh into the game plan.
And that actually works. If you take a look at, for instance, my first couple of fights or three or four fights with Mayweather, when I got him training, it refreshes your mind. It motivates your soul so I believe this is a big plus for Marco.
Franklin McNeil: And my next question for you Oscar is, everyone’s talking about Marco not being the physical fighter he once was, and that is true, but how important – he is an intelligent fighter – how important is intelligence in this fight, making decisions quickly as the fight progresses?
Oscar De La Hoya: Well, one thing that’s very exciting to me that a lot of people don’t know is that a few fights ago, Marco Antonio Barrera told me, listen, I’m saving the best for last, and I truly believe him. I believe he knows these are his last few fights and I believe he’s going to come with his “A” game come October 6th.
Franklin McNeil: And Bob, one question for you. The next couple of weeks for you are just unbelievable. You’ve got Kelly [Pavlik] fighting next week, you’ve got Pacquiao fighting right after that, and then you’ve got Miguel [Cotto}. You’ve got three of your top fighters going right at it. What is this like for you? Is this an exciting time for you as a promoter?
Bob Arum: Obviously, they’re exciting. I mean, the three guys have one thing in common and that’s they’re all tremendous punchers, and I love punchers, and I love what punchers bring to the sport and the excitement that when you have a puncher in the ring. All of the three guys are going to be in top shape. I know Kelly is and Manny is.
I’m proud of them and I look forward to it, and they’re all fighting top, top, top competition. As Oscar said, Marco Antonio Barrera is going to be at his best. He’s one of the most intelligent fighters that I’ve ever seen and he’s going to test Manny.
And of course Jermain Taylor the champion, you saw that wonderful countdown show on HBO, I mean, that tells the whole story. Jermain’s a hell of an athlete, a great fighter, and he’s going to bring it all to Kelly Pavlik. And then Shane Mosley, I mean, how can you decry Shane Mosley?
He’s been one of our top fighters for years and he’s facing Miguel Cotto in Cotto’s toughest test. I mean, three great fights that are coming up and I’m very proud to be part of all of them.
Neil Graves: Yes, this is for Oscar. I’m not a sportswriter, I’m a newswriter and as you may know, we had a story in our paper yesterday about this friend of yours, Milana? And I just need you to tell you part of the story concerning photo credits she had of you that you claim are doctored, and you know, they look kind of real to us. Can you just give your half of this story, if you could? About this fishnet business and the tutu and what have you?
Oscar De La Hoya: These pictures are obviously fabricated and I’ve been advised by my attorneys not to comment further. Obviously I’m convinced that this whole mess will be cleared up, but now, you know, this is a focus on Barrera and Pacquiao, so if we can move on with that.
Bob Arum: We have two guys in Barrera and Pacquiao who’ve worked their asses off preparing for the fight and this is a very, very important fight for the sport of boxing. And the questions, in all fairness, should be related to the fight and the two fighters and all this other nonsense and trash, we can forget about, at least for this call, because I don’t want to hear anything else about this crap. I just want to talk about the fight, and what a great thing this fight is for the sport of boxing.
Lance Pugmire: Bob, when you talk about the possible distractions that are facing Manny, is that legitimate in your eyes? Is there a lot of credibility as to his distractions as he heads in for this showdown with Barrera?
Bob Arum: When you are promoting a fighter, as a promoter, you’d want the fighter to be like a monk, to just get in the training camp and just train for the fight and just focus on the fight. Unfortunately, with a guy like Manny Pacquiao, that is not possible.
Just as it wasn’t possible for Oscar De La Hoya. I remember we used to go crazy when he was making a record or rehearsing songs when he was preparing for a fight. That goes with the territory.
The one thing I’m sure about, as I was sure about with Oscar, is that Manny has trained extremely hard for this fight. He’s in great, great physical condition, and that’s all I can ask.
Lance Pugmire: Who are you using as your best source to sort of confirm that he has trained hard for this fight?
Bob Arum: I get all the calls in the early evening because that’s the early morning in the Philippines. My best source of course is Freddie Roach, who’s the trainer, and who works with him and gives me an honest assessment and also is an expert. But I get secondary sources, the lawyer, (Jane Cowl) calls me, (Peter Chen) from the television network calls me, all the writers call me, Nick and Ron.
I must get at least three or four calls a night from the Philippines. But the one that I rely on mostly is Freddie, obviously, because Freddie is a professional..
George Willis: Hey Oscar, what did you learn from Bob as far as picking-up tips about being a promoter that you might be implementing now?
Oscar De La Hoya: Well I mean, now that we have turned promoter and have four years in the business, you want to look at a person like Bob Arum and you want to look up to him as a promoter. It’s just like me saying as a fighter, I want to do what Sugar Ray Robinson did when he was around.
I want to be like Sugar Ray Leonard, I mean, it’s the same thing. I want to be like Bob when I’m in this business in the future. He’s done a lot of great fights. He’s given the world a lot of great entertainment and as we develop our skills and as we progress, a person that we’re going to have to thank is Bob Arum.
George Willis: Are you having an even greater appreciation for the process of bringing a fighter from basically an unknown name and trying to make him a name and get him into a title situation and things of that nature? That whole process, have you gained a greater appreciation for that?
Oscar De La Hoya: Oh, absolutely. I mean, it’s – with us being promoters for four years, you know, we’re now starting to have our fighters become world champions and in line to fight for world titles and in line to be recognized and fighting on HBO, so it definitely takes time.
It takes a lot of effort and strategies and it’s not an easy job. It’s a very difficult one, and that’s why you have to appreciate what Bob has done over the years.
Jesus Esquer: Question asked in Spanish
Oscar De La Hoya: He was asking, Bob, what’s the reward for the winner, you know, what fights can be made if Barrera wins or if Manny Pacquiao wins.
Bob Arum: Obviously, Manny Pacquiao needs to win in order to establish himself as the pound-for-pound best fighter in boxing and with Marco Antonio Barrera, obviously if he could beat Manny Pacquiao, that would set-up a rubber match which would be absolutely huge, right Oscar?
Oscar De La Hoya: Exactly. And Barrera, like we said, we can never count him out because these are the type of fights that he really steps his game to another level.
Bob Arum: I’ve learned that. I’ve learned that. I mean, certainly against Morales that happened, and you know, his victory over Hamed. Nobody gave him a chance in that fight and he demolished Hamed.
Bob Arum: Before the next question, I just want to comment about the undercard on this fight that Golden Boy and Top Rank have put together, because it’s an outstanding undercard. In one fight, we have the WBO featherweight championship between Steven Luevano and Antonio “T-Rex” Davis. That should be a great fight.
And then the USBA super-middleweight championship between Librado Andrade and Yusaf Mack. That should be a terrific battle, and then Francisco Bojado, who was one of the top prospects in boxing now back on track, and he’ll be facing Steve Forbes of “The Contender” in a special 10-round super-lightweight bout.
That should be a terrific, terrific undercard to go with what should be a spectacular main event. Go ahead
Dan Rafael: I want to ask both you guys if you can just – I’ll ask Oscar first, and then Bob. This is your first time promoting a show together since the Barrera-Morales fight, with all the legal issues over a variety of things, most notably Manny Pacquiao’s contract.
Oscar, can you just talk a little bit about getting back to business with Bob and trying to put all the animosity and the other things behind you, how has it gone in your opinion, and you have other fights, of course, coming up in the next first months with Cotto and Mosley and (Guzman) and (Soto) and that sort of thing?
Oscar De La Hoya: Obviously, this is what’s best for boxing and Bob and I have had this relationship for such a long time. It was saying that we did go through that rough period with not doing business and not talking to each other, but things are on track and the future looks bright for boxing.
We’re doing great fights together and the things that we said or the things that I said personally, obviously, I deeply regret. Obviously, they’re in the heat of the moment when you say things that you don’t mean, and Bob said it perfectly, or somebody mentioned to me that, you know, this was like a marriage. We separated for a bit and the emotions got in the way, but now we’re back on track.
Dan Rafael: No hard feelings, I guess?
Oscar De La Hoya: No hard feelings.
Dan Rafael: Bob, could you address the same sort of thing I asked Oscar about?
Bob Arum: Yeah, I think that what Oscar says, I would echo. There was great bitterness between us, but once we saw the light and the issues were settled, we vowed to look to the future, not to the past, or not to the immediate past, because in the past where we had been together was really great.
It was a natural situation for us to work together going forward and when we both realized that the beneficiaries of all of this were really the fighters and the fans and the sport of boxing, because working together and putting fights on together just mean that the fans get more entertainment, the boxers get more opportunity, and it’s the way intelligent people act
A lot of what we said and a lot of what we did was not intelligent on both parts. I mean, I regret a lot of things I said about Oscar and Richard, they were uncalled for, but there’s no need to dwell on the past. Let’s look to the future because the future is so bright.
Dan Rafael: You’ve watched, I’m sure from afar, seeing how Oscar and Golden Boy have developed over the last four years as a promotional company, and having co-promoted fights with them, some of Oscar’s own fights, and now doing business with them.
You’ve been around, of course, you’re one of the top promoters in the history of the sport. Do you have a new-found respect for what they’ve accomplished without your help in the last four years or so?
Bob Arum: I think they’ve done a very, very good job, and they’re bright people and they’re able people. So, I think they deserve what they’ve accomplished.
Patrick Kehoe: First question is to Bob. How did Team Pacquiao and Manny himself basically explain why they wanted you as their promoter?
Bob Arum: Well, I had established a relationship with Manny going back to his fight with Juan Manuel Marquez and we always had a very, very good relationship with the Pacquiao camp and with Manny. It evolved that way through the fight with Erik Morales and then his fight with Valenzuela. That’s the way it developed.
Patrick Kehoe: And this is for either one of you guys. Were there any specific requests that either one side or the other wanted with respect to size of the ring or gloves or anything like that, or is it pretty straight-up this time?
Bob Arum: It’s Nevada and so these rules are not flexible. The ring has to be 20 by 20 inside and you can’t change it. Gloves have to be eight ounces at this weight. Each fighter can wear his own make of glove.
Patrick Kehoe: So no contentious issues? The other thing was, I wanted to ask Oscar, now that you’re – well, you’ve been a promoter for awhile, but your career is still open-ended. Are there any specific issues with that, or how do you find the balance between both roles?
Oscar De La Hoya: The balance has been fairly easy. Obviously, I have very competent people who can take control and run with the ball in (Richard Schaefer) and all my staff at Golden Boy Promotions.
Obviously, it’s been a fun ride, especially now that we can make all the big fights happen and I see a bright future for the sport of boxing, so it’s something that being a promoter that I want to continue doing,
to make sure that the sport grows and to make sure that we continue to bring the fans the best fights possible.
Patrick Kehoe: Last question. Obviously, as a promoter, Oscar, all promoters want to make the best fights possible for everybody involved. But, is there anything, given the situation that boxing faces today with respect to challenges from mixed martial arts and that sort of thing, how do you deal with that issue?
Do you sort of say, well, I’ll make the best fights I can for my fighters, or do you think about that other issue with respect to the bigger picture that boxing is facing as a sport?
Oscar De La Hoya: First of all I have to say, you have to commend what the UFC is doing or the MMA is doing, it’s in such a short period of time. I mean, obviously, there’s a lot of questions that have to be answered and like any other sport, you have your ups and downs.
The truth of the sport is going to come out when they have their downs, so see how that, you know, see how that comes out. But, one thing that I have to admit is, with my fight with Floyd, people were saying this is the fight that saved boxing.
I truly believe this is the fight that saved boxing, because a lot of fights now, a lot of fighters are now thinking, you know what? I think it’s my opportunity to be in the biggest fights and show what I can do. You know what, if Floyd and Oscar didn’t save boxing, well, I can save boxing.
So, I think a lot of fighters want to fight the best now. They want to be in these tough fights to be the first ones to say, look, I’m the one that saved boxing. So, I think the pressure is on the fighters now to be involved in big fights, so it looks very bright for boxing and it makes it much easier for the promoters to make these fights happen, because the fighters now want to be involved in these big fights.
Eddie Goldman: First question for Oscar. Oscar, you were saying that Marco Antonio Barrera was saying that he’s going to save the best for last in his later fight, but as you know, there’s a feeling among many people that have followed his career and Manny Pacquiao’s that his best may be several years in the past, with those wars with Morales and all those other great fights that he had, that he didn’t look as sharp in the first fight with Rocky Juarez.
They lost to Marquez, and that Manny Pacquiao was about five years younger, is really at the peak of career now, reflected particularly with the knockout in the last fight against Erik Morales.
Can you tell us what your view is on this and how you feel he can overcome this age disadvantage and the problems that come with having been through so many wars?
Oscar De La Hoya: We recently witnessed Marco Antonio Barrera against Juan Manuel Marquez which was a good fight and a close fight, you know, where Juan Manuel Marquez won.
And then you take a look at Manny Pacquiao against Juan Manuel Marquez where Marquez was dropped three times and then received a draw. I believe that tells you a lot about Marco Antonio Barrera. Every time he fights the best, he elevates his game.
And now he’s fighting the top dog. Now he’s fighting the guy who beat him several years ago and he will be in the best shape of his life. This is the same story that we’re getting from when he fought Prince Naseem Hamed, the same story that we’re getting from when he fought Erik Morales.
He is the underdog and people are counting him out, but I believe that’s what he thrives on. That’s what he feeds off so he can be a better fighter in that ring.
Eddie Goldman: And a question for both Oscar and Bob, referring earlier to the question of the growth of mixed martial arts. One of the things they’ve done in mixed martial arts that they haven’t done as much in boxing is using the Internet extensively.
It seems that’s an area where I feel boxing has fallen way behind. I went out to look at the Sunday newspapers and there were piles and piles of them, and yet more and more people are using the Internet.
What do you think could be done more to use social networking, blogs, all these kinds of things, Internet radio, podcasts, all these things that have been done extensively in mixed martial arts to build-up a grass roots fan base and that boxing has been to a large degree ignored?
Oscar De La Hoya: You want to go ahead, Bob?
Bob Arum: Yeah, well, I think that to some extent that that is correct. I think that the mixed martial arts people have done a very, very good job using the Internet.
But boxing promoters now realize how significant the Internet is and are beginning to utilize it. I mean, three or four years from now, all when you television set and your computer is the same, you’re going to have boxing shown via the computer, which is your television set, and that will be another pipeline, a big pipeline, to showcase the product.
That’s coming. Now I’ve been in this business 41 years. I remember when there wasn’t satellite, so you know, obviously there are changes. The world marches on and I think that boxing promoters, you’ll see, will be exploiting and using the Internet because there will be really nothing else but the Internet within three to five years.
Oscar De La Hoya: Also to answer your question, we at Golden Boy are working with the best Webmasters as we speak. It’s going to take several months to create the Web sites for boxing. Our recent acquisition of The Ring magazine is going to filter into a state-of-the-art Web site where people can receive information and read information on what’s going on in the world of boxing.
Karl Freitag: Hi guys. The first question is for Oscar. Earlier Bob said that if Pacquiao wins this fight, he’ll be the pound-for-pound best fighter. Do you agree with that?
Oscar De La Hoya: Well, he’s definitely the most exciting fighter in the world and there’s no argument that people will call him the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. Obviously, people – that mythical pound-for-pound title, you can make many arguments.
Obviously, you have a lot of top fighters who can be the pound-for-pound fighter. For instance, you have Pacquiao, you have Floyd Mayweather, you have guys like Bernard Hopkins.
You guys have fighters like Miguel Cotto. You know, there’s guys who are coming up, so I mean, at this point, there’s so many great fights going on and happening, I believe it’s getting more difficult to see who is the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.
Karl Freitag: Do you think that the best pound-for-pound fighter should be an exciting fighter, or do you think a technician should have that title, too?
Oscar De La Hoya: Well, it’s up to the experts, the panels, the people who make-up this title. Obviously, for the fight fans, for the business, an exciting fighter like Manny Pacquiao is great for the sport of boxing.
Then you have to think about how Freddie Roach is converting him into a technician but at the same time keeping that aggressive style, so you take that into consideration. If he beats Barrera, do you make him pound-for-pound champion? So there are a lot of arguments you can make, but I guess the experts are the final ones to say who is the pound-for-pound champion.
Karl Freitag: A lot of people still have Floyd rated as the pound-for-pound champion, but do you see kind of a change in the air with Pacquiao possibly being widely considered that after this fight?
Bob Arum: Well I think so. I think Pacquiao should be considered that. I don’t think Floyd Mayweather can beat either Miguel Cotto or Shane Mosley. I don’t see why anybody would pick Floyd to be a pound-for-pound best fighter in the world.
Karl Freitag: Do you think that there’s any way coming into this fight that Barrera can do a technical-like performance like he did against Rocky Juarez in the second fight, or do you think he has to go to war to have any chance to win this fight?
Bob Arum: That I don’t know, because I’m not an expert. Oscar would know that better than me, but I’m telling you, never count Marco Antonio Barrera out of a fight. Never count him out of a fight. He is a consummate warrior who springs surprises at any time. As a Manny Pacquiao guy, I’m really worried about this fight..
Tim Smith: I’ve got a question for Oscar and then I wanted to ask your opinion as well, Bob. Just going back to The Ring magazine issue, if I may. Oscar, did it come up in your thinking of buying the magazine, and I read your release. I understand your passion about the magazine, I mean, your interest when you were growing up and everything.
But did it come up into your mind that there could be a possible conflict-of-interest with an active fighter who also happens to a promoter buying a magazine that ranks boxers, some of your own boxers, and could possibly have you in the rankings and also gives championship belts that, you know, I think you a Ring belt at one particular point, and I know your fighters have Ring belts.
Did that idea of a conflict-of-interest actually come up, and what was your thinking along the lines if it did come up?
Oscar De La Hoya: Absolutely it did come up. It’s obviously a question that we’ve been getting and the only thing we can do is let our actions speak for themselves. The Ring magazine is an acquisition that we made for boxing, for the fans, for the sport.
And obviously, when we make investments, we’re not in the business of losing money, so there’s no way that we will destroy that reputation or that magazine. There’s no way we will do that.
But just the way we proved a lot of people wrong with Golden Boy Promotions, all we can do is keep on doing the right thing and people who know the truth, and you know, the magazine will become a piece of history the way it is now, and we’ll continue on to be the magazine for boxing.
Tim Smith: What would you have thought if Bob Arum and Don King had bought Ring magazine?
Oscar De La Hoya: I would say, you know, they’re doing it to enhance the sport. They’re doing it to build the sport. This is an iconic piece in boxing’s history, and I believe whether it was Don King or Bob Arum or whoever it was, I believe that the intentions would always be to protect such an iconic piece in the sport of boxing.
Tim Smith: And Bob, I’m wondering. What’s your thoughts on Oscar buying Ring magazine and would you have ever considered purchasing a magazine that ranks fighters and gives championship belts?
Bob Arum: There are two issues here. One issue is buying a magazine, and I don’t see any problem with a promoter buying a magazine. The second issue is about rating fighters and giving championship belts, and I think that it does go to credibility.
I don’t think there’s conflicts of interest, but I think that when a promoter owns a company that does award championship belts and does ratings that that has to be taken into account in assessing how valid those ratings and championship belts are.
There’s no conflict of interest. There’s nothing that – I mean, this is not a governmental body. It’s not like buying the WBC or WBA. But, they do give championship belts out of Ring magazine and I think that as long as a promoter owns that magazine, I think that you have to look with somewhat of a jaundiced eye on the awarding of the championship belts or on their ratings, no matter how good their intentions are.
Ramon Arkanda: Oscar I’ve got a quick question for you first. Barrera had actually indicated previously – I forgot what interview it was – but he had mentioned that this would probably be his last major fight and that he was looking for possibly two farewell bouts in Mexico.
Now, should he win the fight, is there an actual rematch clause in the contract that he would have to fight Pacquiao a third time?
Oscar De La Hoya: Well, let me just put it this way. It’s always our last fight. It’s always our last major fight. Speaking as a fighter, I believe Barrera has the youth, has the experience, has the smarts, that is, if he does win this fight, he will continue on to fight the best and the biggest fights out there. Bob Arum can talk to you about the rematch clause if there is one.
Bob Arum: No, there is no rematch clause. But obviously, what Oscar is alluding to, is if Marco Antonio Barrera springs the upset and beats Manny Pacquiao, there is no question that Oscar and myself will talk to the fighters about doing a rubber match. It would be insane not to be such a big fight.
Ramon Arkanda: Absolutely. Again, a question for you, Bob. Now, clearly, Manny Pacquiao has had other ideas about life after the sport with him trying to get into the politics recently. Now has he talked to you at all about how long, or how much longer, he plans to be in the sport?
Bob Arum: No. I think Manny is the kind of kid that probably wants to be in the sport for a long, long time. He loves it. It’s the real source of his adulation. I was over in the Philippines when he ran for Congress and I know he was passionate about that.
But he kept assuring me that his first love was boxing and that he would be in the sport for a long time.
Ramon Arkanda: Well, I’m sure you’re glad he didn’t win.
Bob Arum: No, that’s not true! You should have seen me at those rallies.
Ramon Arkanda: And I just have one last question, it’s kind of going for both of you guys. Now with all the recent injuries lately, what are your guys’ thoughts on that, for one, Oscar, as a fighter, what kind of things you’d do or try not to do when you are in training to avoid any kind of major injuries, and what are your thoughts, both of you. I mean, how disappointing is it when things like this occur?
Oscar De La Hoya: Obviously an athlete cannot avoid injuries, but you can minimize if you do have the best team around you. With the top fighters in this game today, they do have the best teams about there.
Talking about Manny Pacquiao and Marco Antonio Barrera, that’s something that you can’t avoid. If you’re going to get an injury, you’re going to get an injury. That’s what athletes have to go through.
Bob Arum: You know something, also, you’re going to see, at least for the next few years, a lot of injuries occurring in training to those fighters who were raised in the Soviet system. The reason for that is, as young athletes, they were fed steroids and their bodies are breaking-down from the steroids.
That’s why I’m not surprise at Maskaev’s injury. I’m not surprised every time Vitali Klitschko gets injured because of the fact that the worst thing that a kid can do is take steroids, because those have an effect later in their career and certainly later in life.
Oscar De La Hoya: I would say in closing that we’re looking forward to the big fight October 6th. We will be there live and the fight is almost selling out. We expect a sellout in the next few days and don’t miss it on HBO Pay-Per-View.
Bob Arum: Yeah, I think this fight is going to amaze everybody. I think it’s going to be an intense fight, a very, very well-contested fight. I think that the people are going to get their money’s worth. The undercard is terrific. I think it’s going to be a great, great night for the sport of boxing.
This Saturday night, of course, we have Kelly Pavlik going up against Jermain Taylor and the telecast of that fight on HBO will be followed by a countdown show of Manny Pacquiao and Barrera that, you know, if anybody’s seen the countdown show that they’ve done for Taylor and Pavlik, you know how great these shows are and how revealing they are about the participant.
And then all of next week, Oscar and I are going to have a little lunch for the press in LA where we are going to do a gold medal ceremony and the fighters will be arriving at Mandalay Bay. There’ll be open workouts. There’ll be a press conference on Wednesday.
A satellite tour on Thursday. The weigh-in is on Friday. It’s going to be a tremendous week with the passionate Filipino and Mexican fans, so I’m delighted that so many press, the turnout is tremendous, that so many press people, media people are coming to this event October 6th, and we look forward, Oscar and I both, to seeing you all out here in Las Vegas for the big fight.