By Michael Marley
Bob Arum can certainly be excused for not turning his 79th birthday Wednesday into a major bash with family and friends.
It's the veteran promoter's final pre-octogenarian natal day but, given the mountain climbing death in August of his 49 year old lawyer son John Arum, the passage will be marked quietly, Arum said Tuesday.
"I just didn't feel like having a big deal," Arum said. "Given what happened with my son, it just didn't feel right. We'll just have a small group, all family at my house here (Las Vegas) to mark the birthday and the final night of Chanukah."
I asked Arum if he had any thoughts about his career long archrival, Don King, also 79. King was attending a Boynton Beach, Fl., memorial service for his wife of about 50 years, Henrietta, Tuesday and will be at a funeral at a Cleveland church where Rev. Al Sharpton will deliver the eulogy.
"Of course," Arum said. "I was with (HBO PPV exec) Mark Taffet once and we went to Don's house in Florida where he had an office also. I met his wife and she was a nice, lovely lady."
Jokingly, I asked Arum if Las Vegan Floyd Mayweather Jr. was invited to or attended TR's holiday party held Monday.
"Yes, he served the food," Arum said. "Really, nobody knows how to reach or contact Floyd...except for King, I guess."
One birthday party where Arum will get his festive on is the 32nd birthday bash of Top Rank's top client Manny Pacquiao in General Santos City Dec. 17.
Arum said he will make a presentation to Pacman at a Manila sitdown meeting prior to the birthday fete.
"Mike Koncz (Pacquiao's adviser) is back in the Philiipines now. I will go over the details on Juan Manuel Marquez, Shane Mosley and Andre Berto with Manny and Mike. Manny will call the opponent he wants for the next fight."
Arum did say Berto's pesky WBC bout against Turk Selcuk Aydin is not a detriment to his selection.
"Manny, a Manny fight, takes priority over some mandatory," Arum said.
I asked if he had any revised purse request from Golden Boy on Marquez's behalf.
"No, nothing. That's up to them but I repeat their first offer was not appropriate."
Handicappers still see the horse race this way: Mosley is the lead horse, Berto is trailing but is not out of sight and Marquez needs to trim his demands. Marquez needs a revised offer to get back on the racetrack, really.
