ALEX ARIZA: "BOB THREATENED TO HAVE JULIO SIT...IT'S BOB THAT'S TRYING TO STALL HIS CAREER"
By Ben Thompson | March 31, 2012
BT: Alex, what's going on bro?
AA: Not much bro. I started with Amir already this week. Manny's just tightening up some business things and stuff like that here, so we should be starting any time.
BT: Cool, cool. I definitely want to get to that, but before I do, I wanted to touch base with you about Julio [Cesar Chavez Jr.]. I don't know if you heard, but after Julio did that interview with me last week talking about the 2-fight extension they're trying to get him to sign for the June 16th fight, Bob Arum has since come on record blaming you and Billy Keane for holding up the fight. According to him, you're trying to "stall" the fight because you'll be too busy working with Amir and Manny to work with Julio. That didn't make any sense at all to me when 1) you already told me that you informed Manny and Amir that you would be coming back to the States at the end of April to work with Julio, and 2) Julio himself told me that Arum wants him to sign a 2-fight extension, which he has no intentions of doing. What the hell is Bob talking about?
AA: As with anything, Ben, you know that everything that comes out of Bob's mouth is completely untrue and it's a lie. The truth of the matter is that Bob put a 2-fight extension in the contract as a condition to Julio fighting on June 16th, and that was supposed to be for free, for nothing; he just threw it in there. Not to mention, it's actually 15 months before his contract with Top Rank is even up. Why would he do something like that just for free? And if he didn't sign that extension, Bob threated to have Julio sit. So what happened was, when I did speak to you from Mexico, I had flown to Mexico with Chavez's manager, Billy Keane, and we stayed there for three days where we had a meeting with Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. and Chavez Jr. Trust me, bro, when I tell you the last thing that Arum wants to do is threaten a Chavez. Bob, in his old age, must really be thinking he is what people used to say he is. Is Chavez supposed to sign this extension just to be grateful to be promoted by the great Bob Arum? I mean, this guy is really senile and delusional walking around. He needs to get this clear, he's been exposed. His bullying tactics, his way of doing business, the way he strong-arms these fighters has all come to light. People are now seeing right through his bull****. Nobody is buying it anymore and it's showing. Over the course of the last few years, guys that used to be with him are jumping ship and moving forward, and it started way back with De La Hoya. From De La Hoya to Mayweather, and from Mayweather now to Cotto. These guys aren't buying it. These young fighters that are coming aren't going to sign with him, because it's just a matter of time before people get to them and start showing them the kind of promoter he really is and what he's doing. It just goes to show you, he's not really doing anything for the sport by having Julio sit.
By Ben Thompson | March 31, 2012
BT: Alex, what's going on bro?
AA: Not much bro. I started with Amir already this week. Manny's just tightening up some business things and stuff like that here, so we should be starting any time.
BT: Cool, cool. I definitely want to get to that, but before I do, I wanted to touch base with you about Julio [Cesar Chavez Jr.]. I don't know if you heard, but after Julio did that interview with me last week talking about the 2-fight extension they're trying to get him to sign for the June 16th fight, Bob Arum has since come on record blaming you and Billy Keane for holding up the fight. According to him, you're trying to "stall" the fight because you'll be too busy working with Amir and Manny to work with Julio. That didn't make any sense at all to me when 1) you already told me that you informed Manny and Amir that you would be coming back to the States at the end of April to work with Julio, and 2) Julio himself told me that Arum wants him to sign a 2-fight extension, which he has no intentions of doing. What the hell is Bob talking about?
AA: As with anything, Ben, you know that everything that comes out of Bob's mouth is completely untrue and it's a lie. The truth of the matter is that Bob put a 2-fight extension in the contract as a condition to Julio fighting on June 16th, and that was supposed to be for free, for nothing; he just threw it in there. Not to mention, it's actually 15 months before his contract with Top Rank is even up. Why would he do something like that just for free? And if he didn't sign that extension, Bob threated to have Julio sit. So what happened was, when I did speak to you from Mexico, I had flown to Mexico with Chavez's manager, Billy Keane, and we stayed there for three days where we had a meeting with Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. and Chavez Jr. Trust me, bro, when I tell you the last thing that Arum wants to do is threaten a Chavez. Bob, in his old age, must really be thinking he is what people used to say he is. Is Chavez supposed to sign this extension just to be grateful to be promoted by the great Bob Arum? I mean, this guy is really senile and delusional walking around. He needs to get this clear, he's been exposed. His bullying tactics, his way of doing business, the way he strong-arms these fighters has all come to light. People are now seeing right through his bull****. Nobody is buying it anymore and it's showing. Over the course of the last few years, guys that used to be with him are jumping ship and moving forward, and it started way back with De La Hoya. From De La Hoya to Mayweather, and from Mayweather now to Cotto. These guys aren't buying it. These young fighters that are coming aren't going to sign with him, because it's just a matter of time before people get to them and start showing them the kind of promoter he really is and what he's doing. It just goes to show you, he's not really doing anything for the sport by having Julio sit.
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