GRAPEVINE, TEXAS—Manny Pacquiao, whose once klutzy footwork is now so nimble he moves about the ring like a boxing Baryshnikov, might be doing the Texas Two Step.
Promoter Bob Arum just revealed to me that his public bleating about “bleep Floyd Mayweather” and “bleep Golden Boy” is not just his customary barking.
There is a method to his stay away from the Goldens and Mayweather madness. Arum hasn’t been the the sport’s leading promoter for four decades because he fails to plan ahead.
And he’s got a backup plan for Pacman that is already falling into place and moving pieces for the fight to come after Megamanny takes care of business against happy to be here Joshua Clottey Saturday night at Cowboys Stadium, nestled in between the Rangers ballpark and Six Flags over in Arlington.
“I am not wating around for Mayweather with all their nonsense,” Arum said Thursday morning as he prowled the plush lobby of the Gaylord Texan Hotel.
And he is not waiting to see how Pacquiao fares at the polls in Sarangani Province on May 10 in his quest to become a Congressman in his homeland.
Smiling Warriors Manny Pacquiao, Joshua Clottey like thorns between two Cowby cheerleader roses (Top Rank Photo/Chris Farina)
I mentioned to Arum that Ghanaian Clottey was hardly inspirational at Wednesday’s press conference at the gleaming, $1.2 billion stadium.
Clottey made no bold predictions, no declaration of a huge upset victory to unfold and never even mentioned the terms “winning” or “victory.”
“He is a good loser,” Arum said.
So what comes next?
It looks like a return to Cowboys Stadiium and another chance for Manny to slip into his old “Mexictuoner” role.
Arum is drawing up plans for Pacquiao to fight again in September or November and his Fall Guy could be Antonio Margarito, also part of the Top Rank promotional stable.
“Texas, the boxing commission here, tabled Margarito’s request for a license. There were some political considerations as the governor (Rick Perry) did not want to create any controversy. But he won his primary in a lanslide and that’s not a problem. I think Texas will license Antonio when he comes back to them.”
In the meantime, Arum had to scratch Margarito’s comeback bout for the undercard Saturday night and now has the handwrap cheater returning to the ring in friendly Mexico on May 8.
“That fight will be huge here, with all the Mexicans fans,” Arum said. “We don’t need Mayweather,. We don’t need his nonsense. This fight with Clottey will draw close to 50,000 fans here, we can do 100,000 for Margarito. We don’t need either Mayweather or Las Vegas.”
Arum also said he thinks Mayweather will never fight outside of Nevada because he takes prefight injections for pain in his hands and uses a susbtance (not xylocaine) which is illegal in most jurisdictions but is legal in that state upon proper advance notice to the boxing board.
The Pacquiao Express will roll on with or without L’il Floyd.
