Bob Arum on Mayweather-Pacquiao prep work: Absolute stressful hell
LAS VEGAS - Bob Arum finally has an entourage at age 83.
Walking through the halls of the MGM Grand on Thursday, Arum, the outspoken promoter of Manny Pacquiao, boxing Hall of Famer and chairman of Top Rank Promotions, was surrounded by several beefy men who gave a reporter greeting Arum the evil eye.
This should be the time of Arum's life, but as he tells it, it's far from it.
He's co-promoting Saturday's "Fight of the century" between Floyd Mayweather and Pacquiao - he also promoted perhaps the definitive "Fight of the century," Ali vs. Frazier I - and this is a promotion so big that when all is said and done, it will be the richest fight in the history of the sport. Everybody will make big money.
Yet Arum is fuming over things you would think a man of his age and experience should be shrugging off.
He's unhappy with the ticket situation, saying the Mayweather side did not want to give Top Rank its fair share of some very valuable floor tickets for the fight. That got straightened out Friday.
He's had major run-ins with the MGM Grand in the past, and the hard feelings, especially with MGM President Richard Sturm, have carried over for this fight. He has accused the MGM of ordering people at the giant hotel-casino to not talk to the Top Rank contingent.
He's not the lead promoter and he's not used to that, though he insists that's not a problem. "Oh, that's bull. We had made an agreement," he said, "For example, they were the lead promoter and it was defined to mean they would initially conduct the press conference. Not in the running of the event. That was in other sections, which showed that it had to be mutual."
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That hasn't happened. Top Rank is definitely the "B" side in this promotion.
He's unhappy with Showtime, saying that working with Showtime Sports boss Stephen Espinoza on the dual HBO-Showtime telecast has been "no picnic."
"It has been absolute stressful hell, from the beginning. Once we signed the contract - which took too long - we signed the contract with the two companies and the two fighters, right?" Arum said. Mayweather's manage Al "Haymon has tried to do everything to undercut the rights we negotiated in that contract."
Haymon spokesman Tim Smith refused to respond to Arum's allegations.
Asked if this has been one of the biggest disappointments of his career, Arum, a Harvard graduate and former lawyer with the Department of Justice who has been in the fight business for 50 years, said, "No it isn't a disappointment. The fight will go off as a big major event. Hopefully it will be a great fight, and hopefully my man will win.
"It's not personal to me for disappointment. If you ask me have I gone through hell in this promotion, the answer is yes. But disappointment, no. Because nobody is pushing me or my company around. And we've battled every inch of the way. The problem is, it takes something out of you. Disappointment is the wrong word. I'm delighted with the way the public has accepted the fight. I'm delighted with the fight."
As for a possible rematch of Saturday's fight, don't hold your breath.
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There is no rematch clause for the fight, and even if there was, Arum said, "There's a prohibition in the United States against cruel and inhuman treatment, and I don't know if I could ever go through anything like this again. Not that the rematch wouldn't be good, but I can't function this way."
Top Rank's employees are fiercely loyal to the boss. Arum's top lieutentant, Lee Samuels, has been with him for 33 years, and Ricardo Jimenez for 15.
"He doesn't care how big or small you are, he treats everybody the same," Jimenez said.
Arum's career has spanned four eras of great fights and great fighters. He promoted 25 Ali fights, "and that was a wonderful experience," he said. "After Ali, I did the (Marvin) Hagler, (Thomas) Hearns, (Sugar Ray) Leonard and (Roberto) Duran fights.
"That was a great, great era for me. And then Oscar De La Hoya, and then George Foreman, and the comeback of Foreman. That was a great thing. We developed Mayweather. He was with us for over 10 years, and I must say, we have no complaints with him over the period we promoted him. Did what he was supposed to do."
And of course, the Pacquiao era has been perhaps the most memorable for Arum, who has helped bring boxing to China with fights held in Macau.
Bob Arum, left, has had many foils throughout his lengthy career, including Don King.
Arum still communicates with longtime foil Don King. "As a matter of fact, I heard that Don had a kidney problem and was operated on. I called his cell and he didn't answer. So I called his office and conveyed to him my best wishes, and Don called me two days ago to thank me."
As for retirement, Arum says "absolutely not." He's excited about all the young kids the promotion has signed up, such as Felix Verdejo and Vasyl Lomachenko, who will fight in Saturday's undercard.
He announced during Thursday's undercard press conference that Lomachenko, a former Olympic gold medalist, has signed a five-year contract.
"Yes, so I have to at least live to 88," he said with a chuckle.
"Most of what I do is a joy. And this should have been a joy. It hasn't been, but it will still come out OK."