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Warning: to any fighter like WBO welterweight champion Antonio Margarito, who is scheduled to fight on any undercard featuring Vitali Klitschko - make sure you have a contingency plan.
When 'Brittle-ly' damaged his right knee late last week, he didn't just hobble himself, but also fighters like Margarito and WBA junior bantamweight titlist Martin Castillo, who were supposed to be featured performers on the televised portion of the pay-per-view undercard.
As of now, both standout Mexicans are in limbo.
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"I don't know, I really don't know," was the answer of a beleaguered Bob Arum, when he was asked by MaxBoxing on Tuesday morning what he had in mind for the duo. "I'm trying, but I can't do everything at the same time. We're trying to do the right thing, find a place for them but you've got to give me time."
Arum sounds frazzled as he says this. It's been a stressful time at Top Rank, which put up over $12 million to win the purse bid for Klitschko's title defense of his WBC belt against Hasim Rahman. Arum and his staff had worked tirelessly to promote the event, which was scheduled for the Thomas and Mack Arena in Las Vegas.
The WBC has granted Klitschko a 60-day reprieve to once again find a way to drop out of his next scheduled date against Rahman.
But now, Arum has to find dates for guys like Margarito, who hasn't fought since late April, when he blew out the previously undefeated Kermit Cintron. He had pitched to have his scheduled bout against Manny Gomez to be added to HBO's telecast of Floyd Mayweather's bout against Sharmba Mitchell on November 19th.
That pitch was rejected.
"They had a movie," explained a perturbed, Arum. "I don't know, I don't understand. I think they're making a big mistake because I think it could've helped that card, but hey, I don't run that network."
So now, Margarito is a fighter without a fight. The news of Klitschko's latest ailment hit them hard.
"We all got down, especially Antonio, because this was a big event," said his co-manager, Sergio Diaz, on Tuesday. "We know it's a big pay-per-view, it's a good opportunity for us to be on a big event like this. We got the news and it just brought all of us down. Especially Antonio, because he had been training so hard, making the weight, the sparring, the time being away from his house and country.
"When we gave him the news it just depressed all of us."
At this time last week, Margarito was in camp preparing for Gomez. While it wasn't the fight he wanted, it was still a significant showcase coming off his watershed win over Cintron.
"I feel proud of that outcome, people were talking about his punch, people were talking about his undefeated record, the big Puerto Rican, and I showed everybody what I was made of," he said last week, through his manager, in South El Monte. "Unfortunately, the bigger fights didn't come after this. We were looking for Oscar De La Hoya, Floyd Mayweather, they didn't come."
It's been a frustrating process for Margarito's management and Top Rank in getting a significant name to sign on the dotted line to face the tough native of Tijuana.
Diaz believes that their promotional company has been diligent in trying to make the lucrative bouts.
"I really do believe them, especially with the money that was offered to Mayweather and Bob came out and spoke about it and the media heard it. So I really think it was something serious and unfortunately Mayweather didn't want to take the fight."
Arum and Diaz say that the 'Pretty Boy' was offered in the neighborhood of $7 million to face Margarito. In what could best be described as a 'business move', the same guy who brazenly challenged the bigger Winky Wright decided to bypass Margarito, to collect nearly $4 million to spar with Sharmba Mitchell.
"Flat turned him down like you can not believe," Arum said of Mayweather when he was offered a chance at the WBO title. "Any time we raised his name, Mayweather went crazy."
Could it be that Mayweather will never get in the ring with him?
"I don't know, you never say never," said Arum last week in Los Angeles, where he was in town for Klitschko's open workout with the media. "Floyd is a very proud guy. The more people talk about all these guys ducking Margarito, of anybody, Floyd is the one who'll step up and say,'I'll face him'. He's a ballsy guy but his people have told him that Margarito is the most dangerous guy for him out there."
The veteran promoter said he was "shocked" that Mayweather would turn down such a payday. But Margarito believes that no matter what the price, Mayweather will avoid him.
"It was heard and it was a fact that Bob Arum offered him a lot of money. And this time it wasn't a question about the money. I really believe it's a question of Mayweather being afraid of fighting me. I have a welterweight title, why doesn't he want to fight me? It's not about the money, it's because he's afraid to face me."
When 'Brittle-ly' damaged his right knee late last week, he didn't just hobble himself, but also fighters like Margarito and WBA junior bantamweight titlist Martin Castillo, who were supposed to be featured performers on the televised portion of the pay-per-view undercard.
As of now, both standout Mexicans are in limbo.
See More MaxTV Videos
It's good to be a member
"I don't know, I really don't know," was the answer of a beleaguered Bob Arum, when he was asked by MaxBoxing on Tuesday morning what he had in mind for the duo. "I'm trying, but I can't do everything at the same time. We're trying to do the right thing, find a place for them but you've got to give me time."
Arum sounds frazzled as he says this. It's been a stressful time at Top Rank, which put up over $12 million to win the purse bid for Klitschko's title defense of his WBC belt against Hasim Rahman. Arum and his staff had worked tirelessly to promote the event, which was scheduled for the Thomas and Mack Arena in Las Vegas.
The WBC has granted Klitschko a 60-day reprieve to once again find a way to drop out of his next scheduled date against Rahman.
But now, Arum has to find dates for guys like Margarito, who hasn't fought since late April, when he blew out the previously undefeated Kermit Cintron. He had pitched to have his scheduled bout against Manny Gomez to be added to HBO's telecast of Floyd Mayweather's bout against Sharmba Mitchell on November 19th.
That pitch was rejected.
"They had a movie," explained a perturbed, Arum. "I don't know, I don't understand. I think they're making a big mistake because I think it could've helped that card, but hey, I don't run that network."
So now, Margarito is a fighter without a fight. The news of Klitschko's latest ailment hit them hard.
"We all got down, especially Antonio, because this was a big event," said his co-manager, Sergio Diaz, on Tuesday. "We know it's a big pay-per-view, it's a good opportunity for us to be on a big event like this. We got the news and it just brought all of us down. Especially Antonio, because he had been training so hard, making the weight, the sparring, the time being away from his house and country.
"When we gave him the news it just depressed all of us."
At this time last week, Margarito was in camp preparing for Gomez. While it wasn't the fight he wanted, it was still a significant showcase coming off his watershed win over Cintron.
"I feel proud of that outcome, people were talking about his punch, people were talking about his undefeated record, the big Puerto Rican, and I showed everybody what I was made of," he said last week, through his manager, in South El Monte. "Unfortunately, the bigger fights didn't come after this. We were looking for Oscar De La Hoya, Floyd Mayweather, they didn't come."
It's been a frustrating process for Margarito's management and Top Rank in getting a significant name to sign on the dotted line to face the tough native of Tijuana.
Diaz believes that their promotional company has been diligent in trying to make the lucrative bouts.
"I really do believe them, especially with the money that was offered to Mayweather and Bob came out and spoke about it and the media heard it. So I really think it was something serious and unfortunately Mayweather didn't want to take the fight."
Arum and Diaz say that the 'Pretty Boy' was offered in the neighborhood of $7 million to face Margarito. In what could best be described as a 'business move', the same guy who brazenly challenged the bigger Winky Wright decided to bypass Margarito, to collect nearly $4 million to spar with Sharmba Mitchell.
"Flat turned him down like you can not believe," Arum said of Mayweather when he was offered a chance at the WBO title. "Any time we raised his name, Mayweather went crazy."
Could it be that Mayweather will never get in the ring with him?
"I don't know, you never say never," said Arum last week in Los Angeles, where he was in town for Klitschko's open workout with the media. "Floyd is a very proud guy. The more people talk about all these guys ducking Margarito, of anybody, Floyd is the one who'll step up and say,'I'll face him'. He's a ballsy guy but his people have told him that Margarito is the most dangerous guy for him out there."
The veteran promoter said he was "shocked" that Mayweather would turn down such a payday. But Margarito believes that no matter what the price, Mayweather will avoid him.
"It was heard and it was a fact that Bob Arum offered him a lot of money. And this time it wasn't a question about the money. I really believe it's a question of Mayweather being afraid of fighting me. I have a welterweight title, why doesn't he want to fight me? It's not about the money, it's because he's afraid to face me."
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