Arum Praises Mayweather Jr. For Hernandez Gesture

By Lem Satterfield

During a recent interview with BoxingScene.com, Top Rank's CEO, Bob Arum, shed light on his thoughts on the humanitarian and altruistic gesture by unbeaten six-time champion Floyd Mayweather (41-0, 25 knockouts), who paid for this past Monday's funeral of 45-year-old former world champion Genaro Hernandez (38-2-1, 17 KOs) without any fanfare or acclaim.

Mayweather dethroned and retired Hernandez as WBC super featherweight titlist by his eighth-round knockout in October 1998. A former two-time champion, Hernandez died on June 7 after a three-year battle with cancer.

Arum had similarly covered the medical expenses of Hernandez, who was taken to his treatments by former Top Rank publicist, Bill Caplan, now with Golden Boy Promotions.

On Floyd Mayweather's paying for the funeral of Genaro Hernandez:

Floyd, when he was promoted by us, won the title from Hernandez, and Hernandez was very gracious in defeat and very gentlemanly about it. I think that Floyd did a very, very nice thing by paying for the funeral.

I think that it was heart-felt. Nobody solicited him to do it, and I compliment him on what he did.

On whether or not he has had a chance to speak with Floyd Mayweather:

No, I haven't talked to him in a long, long time. Floyd and [Top Rank Promotions President] Todd [duBoef, Arum's stepson] occasionally swap text messages. Nothing about business. But socially.