By Jake Donovan
Contrary to what was reported earlier this morning in The Scotsman, undefeated super featherweight Joan Guzman is anxious to square off against Scotland's Alex Arthur. So anxious that Team Guzman is confused as to why Arthur's camp is reluctant to finalize the deal.
"We've been trying to get Frank (Warren, Arthur's promoter) to get the fight going," said Jose Nunez, Guzman's manager and longtime friend. "It's been a month and waiting."
The biggest hang-up in negotiations for the fight is of course, money. Golden Boy Promotions, representing Guzman, and Warren have been negotiating for a while, but unable to agree on what would be a proper split and purse amount for what the WBO bills as a unification match. Guzman is the WBO 130 lb. titlist, while Arthur is recognized as their Interim champion.
Should the two sides agree to terms, which for the moment appears to be unlikely, the fight could possibly land in the co-feature slot for the April 12 HBO PPV, to be headlined by Bernard Hopkins' light heavyweight fight against unbeaten super middleweight king Joe Calzaghe. The card would be a natural fit for Guzman-Arthur, with Guzman and Hopkins both in the Golden Boy stable, and Frank Warren enjoying promotional ties with both Calzaghe and Arthur.
But nothing being easy in boxing, the bout is all but destined for a purse bid. The promoter who submits the highest accepted bid amount will earn the right to promote the fight.
The question is, when will the WBO intervene and declare the fight eligible for a purse bid?
"Last I talked to the WBO, they said to give until Friday," says Nunez. "Eric Gomez (Golden Boy Promotions matchmaker) has been trying to negotiate the fight, but was unhappy with their demands, and instead wants a purse bid."
So far, nothing out of the ordinary. Except for the fact that Team Guzman doesn't believe Alex Arthur, or at least his handlers, are in a hurry to face the undefeated Dominican.
"The problem for us is that for whatever reason, Warren requested an interim fight. We don't want him to have an interim fight, we just want to go straight to the Arthur fight, get that out of the way so we can move forward.
"We never threatened to not fight him, what we wanted an immediate purse bid, to which we've yet to receive. The WBO has yet to give me a date, and seem to be giving Warren the benefit of the doubt while negotiations get dragged out."
The interim fight Arthur is rumored to be seeking would be an all-Scotland showdown against countryman and troubled former featherweight titlist Scott Harrison. The bout would be contingent upon the British Board of Boxing agreeing to relicense Harrison, who has not fought since October 2005, with the 2+year period of inactivity plagued by cancellations, arrests and an ongoing battle with alcoholism.
It has also been suggested that a big money fight with Amir Khan awaits, should Arthur one day plan to go five pounds north to the lightweight division.
Lots of plans, but none seemingly involving Guzman.
"The longer this drags out, and the more rumors we hear, the more we have to believe they were trying to call our bluff."
The bluff to which Nunez refers would be calling out Guzman under the assumption that the Dominican was planning to vacate his 130 lb. belt and move up to 135. Such a move would elevate Arthur's status within the WBO from interim titlist to full-fledged without having to step foot in the ring.
That's the one scenario Team Guzman guarantees will not occur any time soon.
"Our aim is to fight Alex Arthur on the Hopkins-Calzaghe undercard. We're not moving up to 135, so if Arthur wants the title, he has to fight Guzman. If the Alex Arthur fight doesn't pan out, the next in line according to the latest WBO rankings would be (unbeaten Puerto Rican contender) Roman Martinez. Not that we're fighting Martinez instead of Arthur, or that we've even requested such a fight.
"We want Alex Arthur next, and soon. I can't be any clearer than that."
Jake Donovan is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America, and the Tennessee Boxing Advisory Board. His column runs every Tuesday on BoxingScene.com.
Please feel free to submit any comments or questions to Jake at JakeNDaBox@gmail.com.
