By Robert Morales

Promoter Bob Arum this week scoffed at the notion he wants only his Top Rank Inc. boxers to fight the company's cash cow, Manny Pacquiao. This comes on the heels of fellow promoter Gary Shaw last week telling BoxingScene.com that Arum isn't willing to consider non-Top Rank fighters for Pacquiao's next fight should a fight not get made for Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather Jr. 

A week earlier, Arum said junior welterweight champion Timothy Bradley would not be considered because he wasn't promoted to the point he is a household name and that he wouldn't be a viable pay-per-view opponent. Bradley is co-promoted by Shaw and Thompson Boxing Promotions.

"What Bob should have told you is he prefers to fight his fighters against his own fighters, so if one gets knocked off, he's got the other fighter," Shaw said. "Why is he talking about a rematch against Miguel Cotto or a fight against (Antonio) Margarito, who isn't even licensed? He is not talking about fighting other fighters. There would be a lot of interest in a Bradley fight, but I can't make Bob fight my fighters."

Cotto and Margarito are promoted by Arum. Mayweather is not.

Arum responded in kind via telephone from his offices in Las Vegas. He said Pacquiao has a hefty minimum guarantee and that he has to make fights that will cover that.

"That's the only problem," Arum said to BoxingScene.com. "Otherwise, why would we care about a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight? We care about it because it's a huge fight. It's not that we limit Pacquiao to our fighters. We limit him to fighters who are able to generate pay-per-view buys.

"And Bradley can't now. He can't now because Gary has never promoted him right. There is a difference in promotion."

Arum was asked if Pacquiao's minimum guarantee - not counting pay-per-view upside - is in the neighborhood of $10 million. He laughed.

"I wish it was," he said. "It's a lot more. It's considerably more than that. I haven't paid him $10 million ... I don't remember the last time."

Robert Morales covers boxing for the Los Angeles Daily News, Long Beach Press-Telegram and BoxingScene.com