Arum on Pacquiao: Algieri is Possible, Garcia is Not
Jun 17, 2014 • 11:47 AM ET
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
Top Rank promoter Bob Arum, who will undergo surgery to replace his painful right knee tomorrow, says a title clash between “Fighter of the Decade” Manny Pacquiao and newly crowned WBO Junior welterweight champion Chris Algieri is possible.
Arum told BoxingScene.com/Manila Standard that Algieri, who survived two knockdowns to win an unexpected split decision over Ruslan Provodnikov at the Barclays Center “is a possibility.”
However, the Top Rank promoter said he is “not making any moves" regarding Pacquiao’s scheduled November 22 fight in Macau but is waiting for Pacquiao who is "on vacation with his family in Israel" and is reportedly going to California from Israel.
Arum told the Standard “I hope to meet with him when he comes over.”
At the same time Arum squashed reports from multiple sources that Pacquiao was looking at a possible fight with junior welterweight champion Danny “Swift” Garcia. He said “that’s not possible.”
The much-travelled promoter who is in his eighties told us he will be in hospital “for three days, then proceed to Phoenix for another three days and on will be in Los Angeles on Monday.”
He said he would have to undergo “three to four weeks of rehab to be fully functional" and hopes to be in Macau for WBO/WBA super bantamweight Guillermo Rigondeaux’s title defense against Thailand’s Sod Looknongyangtoy (Kokietgym) on July 19 in a card that will also feature former WBO/WBA flyweight champion Brian Viloria and undefeated former Olympic gold medalist Zou Shiming of China.
