Bob Arum has thousands of souls to contend with as he tries to convince Manny Pacquiao to honor a four-year contract with Top Rank, which the Filipino fighter signed almost two months after he inked a seven-fight deal with Oscar dela Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions.
A meeting between Arum and Pacquiao was set last night in Gen. Santos City.
“We will talk tonight,” said Pacquiao over the phone.
In the official Pacquiao website, an ongoing poll which has drawn 18,076 votes points to Golden Boy as the “better deal.” A total of 12,725 fight fans (70.4) want Pacquiao to join dela Hoya, and just 3,344 (18.5 percent) rooting for Arum and Top Rank.
There are 2,006 votes (11.1) percent saying it’s neither of the two or that Pacquiao would be better off staying as a free agent.
With hardly no one knowing and noticing, Arum flew into the country on Christmas day, and hopped into a connecting flight to Gen. Santos City to be with Pacquiao who has yet to finally decide whether he’s for Top Rank or Golden Boy.
Many believe that Arum’s surprise visit to Gen. Santos City, a place where he’s never been before, is the legendary promoter’s make-or-break effort to lure Pacquiao to his fold. It’s either he flies home any day from now with or without Pacquiao’s nod.
As it is, dela Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions has the inside track on Pacquiao who signed a contract with dela Hoya last Sept. 19. Exactly two months after, Arum announced that Pacquiao has renounced the Golden Boy contract and signed a four-year deal with Top Rank.
“There is no way Pacquiao can get out of the contract which he signed with Golden Boy. He has to honor that contract or face losing millions of dollars in lost opportunities,” said a boxing expert.
One more thing that could make Pacquiao side with Golden Boy is the great prospects of a big rematch between the Filipino and Mexican Marco Antonio Barrera by March or April next year. Pacquiao stands to earn $5million just to fight Barrera who is also under Golden Boy.
Arum, on the other hand, has no big fight to offer to Pacquiao. At least for now, there’s none.
