Mayweather has let it be known that he refuses to ?put money in Arum?s pocket,? no matter the circumstances?
Steven Soderbergh?s ?Contagion? is a great film. Not only did he knock off Gwyneth Paltrow in the opening minutes, which was satisfying on many levels. But the film reminds us, as if any reminding were necessary, that a global pandemic is not only likely, it?s just around the bend.
Despite Ebola and scores of scary diseases coming to get us from the darkest corners of the earth, some things are more contagious than others.
Take, for example, Bob Arum. He?s not disease-ridden, at least to our knowledge, but he may be contagious, or what he says may be contagious, based on what is being written about the imminent fight between his man Manny Pacquiao and his bugaboo Floyd Mayweather.
On a recent visit to San Francisco during the whirlwind international press tour for Pacquiao vs. Algieri, Arum visited The Chronicle?s offices and admitted, for the millionth time, that he?s ?very optimistic? about Mayweather fighting Pacquiao in the not too distant future.
?Both networks (HBO and Showtime) want this fight to happen,? he said. ?All signs seem to point to the fight happening early next year.?
Perhaps Arum?s optimism is justified now that Richard Schaefer, the Bobfather?s public enemy number one, is temporarily sidelined while plotting boxing?s future. Another reason for optimism is the temporary ceasefire between Golden Boy Promotions and Top Rank.
Arum?s relationship with Pacquiao isn?t exactly like Svengali?s relationship with Trilby, but there are similarities, and if Arum wants Manny to fight Mayweather early next year, Manny will fight Mayweather early next year.
The wild card in all this wild speculation is the Money Man himself. Without Mayweather there is no fight, and Mayweather has let it be known on more than one occasion that he refuses to ?put money in Arum?s pocket,? no matter the circumstances.
Mayweather may change his mind, just as Oscar De La Hoya and HBO and Showtime have changed their minds. Money makes fools of us all. But unless there are back channel negotiations between Floyd and Manny?s people about which we know nothing, it?s just talk and talk is cheap, unlike pay-per-view, unlike the price of tea in China.
