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Exclusive interview - bob arum 1-11-10
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH BOB ARUM
By Mellow Mood
"Maywether-Pacquiao will never happen unless Mayweather gets a real promoter like Don King"
MM: Lots of developments since our last talk. Pacquiao-Mayweather is dead. Up from the ashes comes Pacquiao-Clottey in Dallas, Texas. "First of all, I think it's a really terrific competitive fight. I just got back from Dallas where I saw the game between the Cowboys and the Eagles. Then I met with Jerry Jones and his son Steve and we worked out a deal for Manny to fight on March 13 at Texas Stadium and I tell you I'm blown away by that facility. I've been around a long time and I've never seen anything like that Stadium. This will be one of the greatest events we've ever put on."
MM: Obviously Pacquiao-Clottey isn't the event Mayweather is, how many people will this be seated for?
BA: "It's going to be set up for 45,000, but it could be expanded to 60,000."
MM: If it was up to you, would Mayweather-Pacquiao have taken place in Dallas?
BA: "Absolutely. You cannot believe how spectacular this venue is. Hopefully you come out and watch it on March 13. I was on the field with Al Michaels and he told me he's never seen anything like this."
MM: Watching it on TV, I've never seen anything like it, and I'm a big Cowboys fan.
BA: And the interesting thing is, we were up in the booth as Jones guest. George Bush and his wife were there. We started talking to him and he's a regular guy. He said to me, Bob, "forget about Merryweather. You got Pacquiao and he's the one everybody wants to see. You got a great fight and I'm going to be there."
MM: Remarks made by Teddy Atlas pertaining to an alleged email somebody on the Pacquiao team sent that states if he came back dirty to keep the results confidential. Is there any validity to that?
MM: "Not even the slightest. Nobody would say anything so ****** and there's no email. Nobody ever sent it. What's the purpose of testing if you don't disclose the results? Teddy Atlas has to make an apology. He can't take at face value what somebody with an agenda has to tell him without seeing the document itself, which of course he didn't, because it doesn't exist. Somebody told Tim Smith the same thing, I assume they were from the Mayweather camp, about this document that does not exist."
MM: Well why would anybody send an email if Pacquiao is clean right?
BA: "Absolutely."
MM: Pacquiao turns down Foreman, how do you wind up with Clottey who is a very difficult fight? Why fight him?
BA: "He only wants to fight competitive fighs unlike some other fighters around. Clottey was the most available, credible fight around."
MM: In your opinion does Pacquiao fighting somebody like Joshua Clottey put some heat on Mayweather to take a more threatening fight than Paul Malignaggi?
BA: "I couldn't care less what he does or does not do. Floyd Mayweather if they called me, I'd get Ivan Calderon in the ring with him."
MM: Do you see the Mayweather fight happening later this year?
BA: "Only if Mayweather gets himself a real boxing promoter like Don King."
MM: Does that mean you don't consider Golden Boy Promotions a real promoter?
BA: "No, I think they have the moniker of being one, but I don't think they're a real boxing promoter. They came in riding the De La Hoya horse and they probably be advised to ride out on the same horse."
MM: It's safe to say that the differences between GBP and Top Rank have returned to the level they were at prior to Weinstein's initial interjection.
BA: "I tell ya, I'm extremely resentful for they defamation that I believe was committed by them, both by Schaefer and De La Hoya committed against Pacquiao. That will be taken cared of in court. I think they way Schaefer handled this situation revealed his ineptitude. If DOn King was promoting Mayweather and Mayweather acted this way, King would have hit him on the head and brought him back to reality."
By Mellow Mood
"Maywether-Pacquiao will never happen unless Mayweather gets a real promoter like Don King"
MM: Lots of developments since our last talk. Pacquiao-Mayweather is dead. Up from the ashes comes Pacquiao-Clottey in Dallas, Texas. "First of all, I think it's a really terrific competitive fight. I just got back from Dallas where I saw the game between the Cowboys and the Eagles. Then I met with Jerry Jones and his son Steve and we worked out a deal for Manny to fight on March 13 at Texas Stadium and I tell you I'm blown away by that facility. I've been around a long time and I've never seen anything like that Stadium. This will be one of the greatest events we've ever put on."
MM: Obviously Pacquiao-Clottey isn't the event Mayweather is, how many people will this be seated for?
BA: "It's going to be set up for 45,000, but it could be expanded to 60,000."
MM: If it was up to you, would Mayweather-Pacquiao have taken place in Dallas?
BA: "Absolutely. You cannot believe how spectacular this venue is. Hopefully you come out and watch it on March 13. I was on the field with Al Michaels and he told me he's never seen anything like this."
MM: Watching it on TV, I've never seen anything like it, and I'm a big Cowboys fan.
BA: And the interesting thing is, we were up in the booth as Jones guest. George Bush and his wife were there. We started talking to him and he's a regular guy. He said to me, Bob, "forget about Merryweather. You got Pacquiao and he's the one everybody wants to see. You got a great fight and I'm going to be there."
MM: Remarks made by Teddy Atlas pertaining to an alleged email somebody on the Pacquiao team sent that states if he came back dirty to keep the results confidential. Is there any validity to that?
MM: "Not even the slightest. Nobody would say anything so ****** and there's no email. Nobody ever sent it. What's the purpose of testing if you don't disclose the results? Teddy Atlas has to make an apology. He can't take at face value what somebody with an agenda has to tell him without seeing the document itself, which of course he didn't, because it doesn't exist. Somebody told Tim Smith the same thing, I assume they were from the Mayweather camp, about this document that does not exist."
MM: Well why would anybody send an email if Pacquiao is clean right?
BA: "Absolutely."
MM: Pacquiao turns down Foreman, how do you wind up with Clottey who is a very difficult fight? Why fight him?
BA: "He only wants to fight competitive fighs unlike some other fighters around. Clottey was the most available, credible fight around."
MM: In your opinion does Pacquiao fighting somebody like Joshua Clottey put some heat on Mayweather to take a more threatening fight than Paul Malignaggi?
BA: "I couldn't care less what he does or does not do. Floyd Mayweather if they called me, I'd get Ivan Calderon in the ring with him."
MM: Do you see the Mayweather fight happening later this year?
BA: "Only if Mayweather gets himself a real boxing promoter like Don King."
MM: Does that mean you don't consider Golden Boy Promotions a real promoter?
BA: "No, I think they have the moniker of being one, but I don't think they're a real boxing promoter. They came in riding the De La Hoya horse and they probably be advised to ride out on the same horse."
MM: It's safe to say that the differences between GBP and Top Rank have returned to the level they were at prior to Weinstein's initial interjection.
BA: "I tell ya, I'm extremely resentful for they defamation that I believe was committed by them, both by Schaefer and De La Hoya committed against Pacquiao. That will be taken cared of in court. I think they way Schaefer handled this situation revealed his ineptitude. If DOn King was promoting Mayweather and Mayweather acted this way, King would have hit him on the head and brought him back to reality."
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