By Mark Vester
Top Rank CEO Bob Arum told the Star-Telegram that Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s refusal to fight Manny Pacquiao at Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Texas is not a deal-breaker for a November mega-fight. Mayweather will demand a Las Vegas venue. Arum is open to making the fight at the MGM Grand.
"If the fight happens and I hope it will, in mid-November in one of those two places," Arum said. "First of all, I'm not married to Dallas. I'm a Giants fan, not even a Cowboys fan. I love Jerry Jones, but I am not going to advocate putting any fight of Manny's [at a site] unless it makes the most sense, that's not necessarily Dallas.
When Arum was asked about a backup plan - he said former three time welterweight champion Antonio Margarito was the number-one guy to fight Pacquiao if a Mayweather deal is not made.
"I can't look at [a backup plan] now. I thought you were going to ask whom he would fight, but the number one guy [to replace Mayweather] would be Margarito," Arum said.
Arum plans to continue keeping away from discussing certain details of the negotiations through the media.
"Once you start negotiating through the media, it becomes ego driven. People can't wait to give a statement to the press. The flames just shoot up and there is no real opportunity for rational behavior to take over. Everyone is so interested is setting forth his position to the media that it becomes the contest. That involves me as well as everybody else," Arum said.
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