By Rick Reeno
Top Rank's CEO, Bob Arum, disputes validity of yesterday's two fight announcement involving Floyd Mayweather Jr. On Wednesday night, BoxingScene.com ran a story where Golden Boy Promotions CEO, Richard Schaefer, discussed Mayweather's anticipated two-fight return in 2013.
Mayweather and his team advised Schaefer to reserve the dates of May 4th and September 14th - the two most lucrative pay-per-view dates in boxing.
"It's obviously very fitting that the sport's biggest star has two dates that are traditionally the two biggest pay-per-view dates - Cinco De Mayo and September 15th....this year it's May 4th and September 14th to be exact. Mayweather informed us. We have worked with Mayweather Promotions to inform the industry, the satellite and cable operators - to reserve those dates. Those dates are reserved," Schaefer told BoxingScene.com.
Arum believes the announcement regarding Mayweather is a ploy to block Top Rank [and others] from reserving the two lucrative dates in question.
"Why did they do it? Because what happens if [Juan Manuel] Marquez wins [against Manny Pacquiao], and we do a Marquez-[Tim] Bradley fight and we want to put it on May 4th - [Gloden Boy would say] 'hey we have the date.' You have it [reserved] for Mayweather, but you don’t have it for anyone else. That's the game," Arum told BoxingScene.com.
"And [Mayweather adviser Leonard] Ellerbe is doing Golden Boy a favor [by announcing Floyd’s return]. Where would Ellerbe ever make a statement that ‘Al Haymon, Mayweather Promotions are proud to say with our partner Golden Goy. Since when did Golden Boy, that gets a fee, become a partner. That's part of the bulls**t. You can smell it like a mile away. What are they playing with a guy who is a novice in me? I’ve been in the business before they were born."
Arum doesn’t rule out the possibility of another promotional head to head battle in May or September. This past September, Top Rank and Golden Boy went head to head with competing events in Las Vegas.
“If Mayweather is fighting, we would not go head to head. But if they are using this to push another fight on May 4th, we might go head to head. This is infantile what they're doing. Do you understand….. infantile. The whole industry is laughing about it. If Mayweather wants to go on a particular date, he's the gorilla like Pacquiao is the gorilla and that's fine,” Arum said.
“People say 'well [they made this announcement] to take away from the Pacquiao fight' - nobody gives a sh*t."