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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: BOB ARUM
By Doveed Linder
DL: Obviously, the biggest thing on your plate is Pacquiao-Cotto. Is there anything you would like to say about that match-up? "It’s creating a tremendous buzz of excitement. We’re inundated with ticket requests. I think it’s going to be the biggest fight certainly this year and maybe the biggest fight in the last number of years."
DL: So you definitely view this as a bigger promotion than Pacquiao-Hatton?
BA: It’s much bigger than Pacquiao-Hatton, particularly if you just focus on the United States . Pacquiao-Hatton had a lot of energy and revenue, but I think as far as pay-per-view buys in the United States and Canada this is much bigger.
DL: Both of these guys have faced some really stiff competition in recent times. Was there such a demand for this fight that you didn’t want to give them a tune-up and do a co-feature to build it up?
BA: We don’t do tune-ups. The public is tired of tune-ups. The public is tired of noncompetitive fights. People are paying good money to see action. They want to see slam-**** action and that’s why we’re calling this fight “Fire Power.”
DL: Well, one thing that fans are excited about is Kelly Pavlik’s return. What direction would you like to see his career take?
BA: Kelly wants to defend his middleweight title maybe one or two more times, then go up to the 168 pound division.
DL: Super middleweight Allan Green is actively campaigning for a fight with Kelly. What are your thoughts on this match-up?
BA: Well, that’s the operative word – super middleweight. If he can make middleweight, fine. He’s a good fighter. We’d certainly put him in the mix. But he can’t. He can’t go to 160. But when Kelly goes up to 168 and gives up the middleweight title, Green will figure in.
DL: I’ve been back and forth with both parties, talking to Allan, talking to Jack Loew… And Allan is willing to come down to 165 for a non title affair, plus Lou DiBella is offering -
BA: (cutting in) We want to fight for the middleweight title. We’re going to find a middleweight to fight and we’re discussing a number of middleweights who are good, competitive fighters and that’s who he’s going to fight. In our discussions with him, he’s told us that he wants to defend the middleweight title and that’s what we’re going to do.
DL: What are your options right now at middleweight?
BA: There’re a whole group of people. There’s Felix Sturm, there’s Winky Wright, there’s Sergio Mora…this Martinez kid…Paul Williams… There’s a lot of guys.
DL: I understand you’re representing Samuel Peter right now. Where would you like to see him go with his career?
BA: Well, we think that he’s now being motivated. He certainly looks great, he’s lost a lot of weight. We’re having him fight in Mexico on Saturday. And then we’re going to put him in a couple of more fights and he’ll fight the top heavyweights around and we hope to have him back in title contention within the year.
DL: The heavyweight division right now is dominated by giants like the Klitschkos – 6’6’’, 240-250 pounds. Do you think the smaller heavyweights of yesterday who were fighting at 210-215 would stand a chance against some of these giants?
BA: Yeah. I think Ali would make the Klitschkos look silly. I think Foreman was better than either of the Klitschkos. Joe Frazier would beat them. I think Jerry Quarry would’ve been competitive with them. So yeah, I think so. The problem is that we don’t have any good heavyweights left in this country, or very few. Because they’re all playing football and basketball. Talented athletes would compete very well with the Klitschkos or the other eastern Europeans.
DL: So you think they’re looking good, because of the lack of competition?
BA: Yeah. Correct. They’re looking good, because there’s a lack of American heavyweights.
DL: What’s happening with Gamboa right now?
BA: He was supposed to fight this weekend in Mexico . But because he’s a Cuban refugee, it would be difficult for him to go out of the United States to fight in Mexico and come back. You need special papers for that and it requires FBI clearance. And it takes a long time to get. So we weren’t able to get it in time, even though we tried. So we took him off this card and he will be at our next Latin Fury card which will be at Madison Square Garden either the end of September or early October.
DL: Is there anything you would like to say in closing about any of your fighters or upcoming events?
BA: There’s Edwin Valero, who’s coming back to the United States . We hope to have him on the November 14th card in a major fight. And there’s Humberto Soto, a top junior lightweight. There’s Urbano Antillon who’s fighting Saturday in Mexico . He’ll be on the pay-per-view card. He’s an up-and-comer. We’re loaded with terrific talent. There’s some of the younger guys… There’s Matt Korobov, who’s going to be a future champion. So we’re loaded. And of course fighting at our pay-per-view card at the Garden at the end of September, early October will be the sensational Juan Manuel Lopez from Puerto Rico .
By Doveed Linder
DL: Obviously, the biggest thing on your plate is Pacquiao-Cotto. Is there anything you would like to say about that match-up? "It’s creating a tremendous buzz of excitement. We’re inundated with ticket requests. I think it’s going to be the biggest fight certainly this year and maybe the biggest fight in the last number of years."
DL: So you definitely view this as a bigger promotion than Pacquiao-Hatton?
BA: It’s much bigger than Pacquiao-Hatton, particularly if you just focus on the United States . Pacquiao-Hatton had a lot of energy and revenue, but I think as far as pay-per-view buys in the United States and Canada this is much bigger.
DL: Both of these guys have faced some really stiff competition in recent times. Was there such a demand for this fight that you didn’t want to give them a tune-up and do a co-feature to build it up?
BA: We don’t do tune-ups. The public is tired of tune-ups. The public is tired of noncompetitive fights. People are paying good money to see action. They want to see slam-**** action and that’s why we’re calling this fight “Fire Power.”
DL: Well, one thing that fans are excited about is Kelly Pavlik’s return. What direction would you like to see his career take?
BA: Kelly wants to defend his middleweight title maybe one or two more times, then go up to the 168 pound division.
DL: Super middleweight Allan Green is actively campaigning for a fight with Kelly. What are your thoughts on this match-up?
BA: Well, that’s the operative word – super middleweight. If he can make middleweight, fine. He’s a good fighter. We’d certainly put him in the mix. But he can’t. He can’t go to 160. But when Kelly goes up to 168 and gives up the middleweight title, Green will figure in.
DL: I’ve been back and forth with both parties, talking to Allan, talking to Jack Loew… And Allan is willing to come down to 165 for a non title affair, plus Lou DiBella is offering -
BA: (cutting in) We want to fight for the middleweight title. We’re going to find a middleweight to fight and we’re discussing a number of middleweights who are good, competitive fighters and that’s who he’s going to fight. In our discussions with him, he’s told us that he wants to defend the middleweight title and that’s what we’re going to do.
DL: What are your options right now at middleweight?
BA: There’re a whole group of people. There’s Felix Sturm, there’s Winky Wright, there’s Sergio Mora…this Martinez kid…Paul Williams… There’s a lot of guys.
DL: I understand you’re representing Samuel Peter right now. Where would you like to see him go with his career?
BA: Well, we think that he’s now being motivated. He certainly looks great, he’s lost a lot of weight. We’re having him fight in Mexico on Saturday. And then we’re going to put him in a couple of more fights and he’ll fight the top heavyweights around and we hope to have him back in title contention within the year.
DL: The heavyweight division right now is dominated by giants like the Klitschkos – 6’6’’, 240-250 pounds. Do you think the smaller heavyweights of yesterday who were fighting at 210-215 would stand a chance against some of these giants?
BA: Yeah. I think Ali would make the Klitschkos look silly. I think Foreman was better than either of the Klitschkos. Joe Frazier would beat them. I think Jerry Quarry would’ve been competitive with them. So yeah, I think so. The problem is that we don’t have any good heavyweights left in this country, or very few. Because they’re all playing football and basketball. Talented athletes would compete very well with the Klitschkos or the other eastern Europeans.
DL: So you think they’re looking good, because of the lack of competition?
BA: Yeah. Correct. They’re looking good, because there’s a lack of American heavyweights.
DL: What’s happening with Gamboa right now?
BA: He was supposed to fight this weekend in Mexico . But because he’s a Cuban refugee, it would be difficult for him to go out of the United States to fight in Mexico and come back. You need special papers for that and it requires FBI clearance. And it takes a long time to get. So we weren’t able to get it in time, even though we tried. So we took him off this card and he will be at our next Latin Fury card which will be at Madison Square Garden either the end of September or early October.
DL: Is there anything you would like to say in closing about any of your fighters or upcoming events?
BA: There’s Edwin Valero, who’s coming back to the United States . We hope to have him on the November 14th card in a major fight. And there’s Humberto Soto, a top junior lightweight. There’s Urbano Antillon who’s fighting Saturday in Mexico . He’ll be on the pay-per-view card. He’s an up-and-comer. We’re loaded with terrific talent. There’s some of the younger guys… There’s Matt Korobov, who’s going to be a future champion. So we’re loaded. And of course fighting at our pay-per-view card at the Garden at the end of September, early October will be the sensational Juan Manuel Lopez from Puerto Rico .
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