By Mark Vester
Top Rank's CEO Bob Arum has went full blast at his promotional rivals, Oscar De La Hoya and Richard Schaefer of Golden Boy Promotions. Top Rank and Golden Boy, recognized as the two biggest promotional companies in the United States, have not done business with each other since the Manny Pacquiao-Ricky Hatton fight in 2009. Tensions boiled over when the two sides failed to reach an agreement for a mega-fight between Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Arum brought up the incident from 2006 when De La Hoya tried to sign Pacquiao to a promotional contract with a suitcase filled with cash.
"We have been in this business a long time, me since the 1960s," said Arum to the Las Vegas Review Journal. "I have never, ever shanghaied a fighter, given a fighter a suitcase filled with money or offered a fighter a contract in a car just after taking a 16-hour flight. They (Schaefer and De La Hoya) are shadier than the worst people in boxing. And for Oscar to participate in that really shows his true colors. I think [Schaefer is] treacherous. He's not honorable. You can't take his word. At the first opportunity, he'll knife you in the back."
De La Hoya hit back, stating to the paper that his company will not be intimidated by Arum.
"I've known Arum a long time, and he always needs to be in a fight with someone. He's a barker and he's very loud. Everyone knows he tries to intimidate with his bark. But he knows he can't intimidate me or Richard," De La Hoya said.
