TOP RANK doesn’t expect Golden Boy Promotions (GBP) to throw in the towel in its fight to stop the April 14 clash between Filipino Manny Pacquiao and Mexican Jorge Solis in San Antonio, Texas.
Bob Arum “assumes GBP to appeal” the injunction that had been denied by a Las Vegas court last week but is confident that it won’t prosper.
“No chance,” said Arum.
GBP, owned by Oscar De La Hoya, had filed an injunction to prevent the Pacquiao-Solis showdown from taking place at the Alamodome, as it believes it owns the right to promote Pacquiao’s fights.
The case is currently being heard in court with Top Rank and GBP expressing confidence they’d emerge victorious.
Despite threats from his rival, the Harvard-educated Arum is looking forward to a slambang show.
“Virtually all the high-priced tickets have already been sold. As far as we are concerned, (the fight) is a go,” said Arum, who revealed that he expects to see Pacquiao arrive in San Antonio on April 6.
“There’s a public workout scheduled for him on Saturday (April 7),” said Arum, whose latest promotion is dubbed ‘Blaze of Glory” and also features two other world title matches.
In the main supporting fight, Christian Mijares defends his World Boxing Council (WBC) super-flyweight crown against fellow Mexican Jorge Arce, while Fil-Am Brian Viloria and Mexican Edgar Sosa dispute the vacant WBC light-fly throne.
Arum has told Los Angeles Times sports editor Bill Dwyre, who also writes a column for one of the US’s top dailies, that he expects to generate 50,000 buys in pay-per-view sales in the city alone.
Dwyre described the 27-year-old Pacquiao as the “Kentucky Derby horse in Arum’s Top Rank stable” and “may indeed be the biggest thing in the Philippines since Imelda Marcos’ shoe closet” in a column that came out on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Top Rank is staging another press conference this week in Los Angeles featuring Pacquiao and Solis together after the Mexican campaigner was a no-show last week owing to visa problems.
