BOB ARUM may have boarded a stealth jet when he arrived in Manila the day after Christmas.
By the time news broke out that the Top Rank president was in the country, Arum had already met with Manny Pacquiao, and in one day, had forged an agreement with boxing?s most exciting boxer.
“Nobody knew I would be coming over (to the Philippines),” said Arum shortly before he and Pacquiao made the announcement about their tie-up.
Even a high-ranking official of Top Rank was oblivious of Arum?s trip to the Philippines to meet Pacquiao.
“I did not know that Bob was going to the Philippines,” said Top Rank publicist Ricardo Jimenez, who often serves as interpreter for Top Rank?s Hispanic sluggers like Erik Morales and rising star Miguel Cotto.
Arum actually wanted to fly to Manila a day earlier but the Harvard-educated lawyer could not get a booking even on first class.
“There was not one available seat,” said Arum, who was told that the reason behind the full flight was the Christmas holidays. The last time Arum was in the country was in 1976 after the historic heavyweight duel at the Araneta Coliseum as guest of former First Lady Imelda Marcos.
“The next day, I got a seat but when I arrived here (in Manila), Christmas was over,” said Arum, who was instrumental in not only staging the 1975 Thrilla in Manila between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier but other marquee matches like the epic three-round middleweight war between Marvin Hagler and Thomas Hearns in April 1985 and countless fights of Oscar de la Hoya, now a bitter rival of Arum.
Arum and Pacquiao actually had dinner at a party in General Santos City that was hosted by Rey Golingan, whose amateur boxing program was graced by Pacquiao in the southpaw?s early days as a reed-thin ringster named Kid Kulafu.
“They were very cordial to each other,” said Golingan. “Mr. Arum had a beer, while Manny just took water.”
Arum?s success in gaining Pacquiao?s trust proved to be costly for Golden Boy Promotions, which had epxressed high hopes of landing the sport?s biggest name.
Not even the arrival of Pacquiao trainer Freddie Roach and New York-based manager Shelly Finkel last week to join in the celebration in General Santos City and convince the boxer to stay with De La Hoya proved insufficient.
What they failed to do, Arum did without working out a sweat.
