Arum: Nonito Donaire No Free Agent, Clause Exercised

By Michael Marley

After I recently reported that WBO/WBC bantamweight champion Nonito Donaire was flexing his free agent muscles, I receved an immediate call from Top Rank's CEO Bob Arum, spry as ever at age 79, who wanted to make it clear that his position is that Donaire is still under the Top Rank banner. And, Arum said, any outside promoter who deals with the 28-year-old Donaire will invite very quick legal repercussions.

"This is absurd, really. The manager (Cameron Dunkin) knows what the story is," Arum said by phone from his palatial Las Vegas lair. "What the kid is doing, well he might screw himself up with this."

Donaire was reportedly paid $325,000 for the Donaire fight which, Arum said, "was above his minimum purse as was his purse for the Wladimir Sidorenko bout, the previous fight. We're putting him into a May 28 title fight and Nonito will get a purse which is a helluva lot more than he's ever made before."

Arum revealed that Donaire apparently engaged the legal services of Vegas lawyer ("he's no ambulance chaser, but he doesn't know all the facts," Arum said) John Bailey to send a letter to Top Rank, informing them about the lanky boxer possibly moving on.

Arum said that a plain reading of Donaire's promotional contract, enterted into on June 26, 2008, shows that it would expire this coming June 26 - except that it contains a clause that allows Top Rank to extend the contract by twelve months.

"We sent out our letter exercising the one year extension, exercising our option," Arum said. "We had any time before the expiration to exercise this and exercise it we did."

Arum said the exercise of the twelve month extension took place on Feb. 21, or two days after the Filipino-American's scintillating, two round KO of Fernando Montiel.

Arum did not sound angry but said that any promoter trying to lure Donaire would hear from Top Rank's outside counsel, O'Melveny & Myers.

"That's all they would be doing, inviting arbitration or other legal action."