March 15 2008 
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rotective Promoter: I Will Never, Ever Permit Pacman To Fight Miguel Cotto!
Michael Marley
ATLANTIC CITY—The traditional turkey won’t be the only thing they will be stuffing at Bob Arum’s palatial Las Vegas home next Thursday. No, Uncle Bob and his family will out to stuff Manny Pacquaio so they can get a good idea of how he will carry himself as a full-fledged welterweight next Sept. 15 in a likely mega fight against Oscar de la Hoya.
But, if you think fighting de la Hoya at the 147-pound limit, will be the start of a new and lengthy welterweight chapter of the Pinoy idol’s career, you’ve got another think coming. According to Top Rank’s head honcho, the expedition to welterweight will be a one-time only excursion.
Late Saturday night here at the Borgata Hotel & Casino, when I sat down to record a great audio interview with Brother Bob which will be posted on ****************** shortly, Arum looked a turkey about to face the guillotine when asked if ever considered matching Megamanny against his soaring welterweight star Miguel Cotto.
“No, no, never,” Arum said. “That is a match that I will never make. Miguel is too big, too strong and too dangerous. He might seriously hurt Manny and no one wants that.”
Then why jump Manny up from 130 pounds to 135 and then past 140 pounds to the welterweight class? To hear Arum tell it, it’s like they say in horse racing, there are horses for courses. Which means that the promoter believes Cotto is too much of the thoroughbred for Pacquiao at that weight.
“Look, it’s a different story with Oscar. Yes, he is bigger than Manny but he is not as young, as fast, as strong or anywhere as dangerous at this point of his career as Cotto is. Miguel is just coming into superstardom. Miguel is getting frighteningly better with each fight.
“When you analyze, Manny and Oscar, that’s a fight that Manny can win. When you analyze Manny and Miguel, it just does make sense,” Arum said.
Arum said that, by the time he got into the ring against Marco Antonio Barrera, Pacman weighed about 143-144 pounds.
The Arums are ordering in extra wavy gravy, extra breadcrumbs, loads of mashed potatoes, several butterball turkeys and every other incredibly fattening food item they can think of.
They’ll stuff the turkey first and then they will stuff the Pacman.
But Pacquiao-Cotto? That’s a no go zone, a never to happen to fight.
So sayeth Top Rank’s boss with the cranberry sauce.
He’s quite the pugilistic Pilgrim, this Robert Arum.
ATLANTIC CITY—The traditional turkey won’t be the only thing they will be stuffing at Bob Arum’s palatial Las Vegas home next Thursday. No, Uncle Bob and his family will out to stuff Manny Pacquaio so they can get a good idea of how he will carry himself as a full-fledged welterweight next Sept. 15 in a likely mega fight against Oscar de la Hoya.
But, if you think fighting de la Hoya at the 147-pound limit, will be the start of a new and lengthy welterweight chapter of the Pinoy idol’s career, you’ve got another think coming. According to Top Rank’s head honcho, the expedition to welterweight will be a one-time only excursion.
Late Saturday night here at the Borgata Hotel & Casino, when I sat down to record a great audio interview with Brother Bob which will be posted on ****************** shortly, Arum looked a turkey about to face the guillotine when asked if ever considered matching Megamanny against his soaring welterweight star Miguel Cotto.
“No, no, never,” Arum said. “That is a match that I will never make. Miguel is too big, too strong and too dangerous. He might seriously hurt Manny and no one wants that.”
Then why jump Manny up from 130 pounds to 135 and then past 140 pounds to the welterweight class? To hear Arum tell it, it’s like they say in horse racing, there are horses for courses. Which means that the promoter believes Cotto is too much of the thoroughbred for Pacquiao at that weight.
“Look, it’s a different story with Oscar. Yes, he is bigger than Manny but he is not as young, as fast, as strong or anywhere as dangerous at this point of his career as Cotto is. Miguel is just coming into superstardom. Miguel is getting frighteningly better with each fight.
“When you analyze, Manny and Oscar, that’s a fight that Manny can win. When you analyze Manny and Miguel, it just does make sense,” Arum said.
Arum said that, by the time he got into the ring against Marco Antonio Barrera, Pacman weighed about 143-144 pounds.
The Arums are ordering in extra wavy gravy, extra breadcrumbs, loads of mashed potatoes, several butterball turkeys and every other incredibly fattening food item they can think of.
They’ll stuff the turkey first and then they will stuff the Pacman.
But Pacquiao-Cotto? That’s a no go zone, a never to happen to fight.
So sayeth Top Rank’s boss with the cranberry sauce.
He’s quite the pugilistic Pilgrim, this Robert Arum.