By Mark Vester
Bob Arum of Top Rank and Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions, held their meeting on Wednesday in Los Angeles to discuss a deal for a possible December 6 pay-per-view clash between Oscar De La Hoya and Manny Pacquiao.
The much talked about meeting well, according to both sides, and it appears that it's not weight or the gloves that are holding up the deal. The biggest issue appears to be the prercentage split of the revenue.
De La Hoya and Pacquiao will fight at the catch-weight of 147-pounds. De La Hoya would be dropping down by 3-pounds from the 150 he weighed for his May bout with Steve Forbes, while Pacquiao who just debuted at 135, would have to moved up by twelve-pounds and two weight divisions.
"If both guys are willing to give, Bob and I have laid the foundation and the groundwork under which a deal can be done," Schaefer told Dan Rafael.
Arum told Rafael that he plans to speak with Pacquiao, while Schaefer will discuss their meeting with De La Hoya next week. The finalization of the fight, if that happens, will probably take a few more weeks, but Arum and Schaefer want to put it together.
"We had a nice meeting, a very productive meeting. Richard is going to talk further with Oscar next week. Manny is going to Beijing for [some of] the Olympics and I will talk to him soon. Richard and I can make a deal, but we are not the guys doing the fighting. It's going to be up to the fighters," Arum said.
The fight itself has drawn an outcry of criticism from boxing fans and writer, many who very upset with the physical mismatch of the fight, and matchup being groomed for nothing more than a sideshow to bring in a lot of money from pay-per-view sales.
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