By Rick Reeno
MGM Grand, Las Vegas - Top Rank CEO Bob Arum has advised Floyd Mayweather Jr. to mind his own business when it comes to the finances of Manny Pacquiao. Earlier in the day, Mayweather questioned the treatment of Pacquiao by Arum's company and adviser Michael Koncz.
Mayweather Jr. explained some of the details from his chance meeting with Pacquiao at a Miami Heat game, in Florida, back in January. The two fighters met face to face, and had a conversation which both indicate was the turning point in their negotiations and ultimately led to a deal being finalized for Saturday's mega-fight showdown.
Mayweather said he was irritated at Pacquiao's longtime adviser, Koncz, who the unbeaten boxer claims had made promises to him a few years earlier.
"When Michael Koncz came over to me and said Manny wanted to take a picture with me, I said 'no, I don't want to take a picture with [Manny], because you're a liar. You told me years ago that you were in control and you gave me your phone number and said all I had to do was call you to make the fight happen. You said [Top Rank CEO] Bob [Arum] was not in control. You told me. Then I said 'you told me and you said you were a man of your word and haven't been a man of your word, so no I'm not taking a picture with Manny Pacquiao. That's a no-go," Mayweather explained.
"I told Pacquiao 'I don't know what Bob Arum has been telling you guys, but its not true. And he's been telling you guys in the media things for years that are not true. [I told him] if you take random blood and urine testing and its on an even playing field - we can make the fight happen. I told him I don't want Michael Koncz number. I've got Michael Koncz number - he's full of sh*t."
"I don't want his number, he's full of sh*t. Michael Koncz don't work for you. He don't care about your wellbeing. I know what happens behind the scenes in the sport of boxing. Just like I said, on Saturday you will see the difference in the paydays.
Mayweather then said, in his personal opinion, that Pacquiao was not treated fairly by Top Rank - in terms of finances - for the May 2nd collision. Mayweather was promoted by Top Rank when he turned pro and stayed with the company until 2006, when he bought his contract out and became a free agent.
"Like when he said he said he signed paperwork [to fight me earlier this year]. I said you must have signed an extension or you must have signed half your money over. As far as you said you signed to fight, that's not true," Mayweather said.
"I told him that I'm surprised that he's not working with Al Haymon. If he was working with us directly, I think he would have made a lot more money. He would have really made $100 million, if he would have worked with us."
"I don't know why they had him staying at that type of hotel [in Miami]. Like I said before, the treatment. It wasn't right. I'm not here to put the hotel on blast, but it wasn't right. Financially I don't think Top Rank treated him right for this fight."
Arum believes Mayweather is just talking trash in a calculated manuever to affect Pacquiao's mental state as the fight draws near.
"Floyd should mind his own business. I'm not going to reduce this to a dialogue, one way or another, with Floyd. You saw at the press conference with Pacquiao today, there wasn't one bad thing said about Mayweather. We're not going to say one bad thing about Mayweather. We're not going to answer him back and so forth. He's the master of trash talking. He's not going to upset Manny Pacquiao. I'm not going to respond to him," Arum said.
Arum says the insistence by Mayweather to call the shots during the entire promotion, as the A-side, will not prevent the inevitable.
"All that A-side stuff, that's [Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard] Ellerbe talking. [Mayweather] will enter the ring last and he will be announced last, but that won't prevent him from getting knocked out by Manny Pacquiao," Arum said.
