By Mark Vester
In a recent interview with USA Today , promoter Bob Arum went back on the attack with respect to a November bout between his fighter Antonio Margarito and Floyd Mayweather, Jr. Arum says that Mayweather is avoiding the bout because he does not want to take any fight that might destroy a potential bout with Oscar De La Hoya in 2007.
"My guy Antonio will fight anybody," Arum said. "I understand what the situation is from Floyd's standpoint. He's hoping beyond hope to fight Oscar De La Hoya, and he knows that Antonio is a tough fight. If Antonio beats him, goodbye to a De La Hoya fight, so he's not going to take the chance."
Mayweather shot back and said that he earned the right to choose who he wants to fight. The target date of Mayweather's ring return is November 4 on HBO pay-per-view. The opponent is unknown, but Margarito is the least likely candidate according to Mayweather. He feels the Mexican warrior has not done enough in his career to make his name big enough to bring in the big pay-per-view numbers.
"He's not a household name," Mayweather says. "To get to where I'm at, I had to beat a lot of good fighters. I've proven myself over and over again. It's about business decisions and being smart. We need guys who are going to generate good numbers on pay-per-view, and Antonio Margarito is not known enough to bring in the non-boxing fans. We're trying to go to the next level."