Bob Arum is doing things differently when he gets together again with Floyd Mayweather’s representatives and tries to put together a fight between ‘Money’ and Manny Pacquiao.
Speaking to Filipino media veteran Ronnie Nathanielsz recently, Arum said:
?I?m going to disregard all comments until I get into a room with his (Mayweather?s) representatives and see what?s what and I am not going to tip my hand and I?m not going to attack him and say that?s absurd. That doesn?t get us any place. This is a negotiation that I?m going to go into hoping that I can make this happen.?
I for one think closed negotiations are definitely a good thing as far as this fight goes. Last time out as much as anything else, the constant bickering and accusations from either side away from the negotiating table helped to stop the fight happen, and I say this as someone who eagerly commented on every one of them.
Closed negotiations will mean that nothing is reported prematurely and that neither side will be influenced by what the other is saying to the media. Arum has made the first step, and Mayweather’s side will have to agree to this as well to make it effective.
All too often these days the reason big fights fall apart is because of promoters rather than the fighters themselves. Just look at the proposed rematch between Darchinyan and Donaire, which reportedly fell apart because of promotional disagreements over the pay per view money. Both fighters have wanted the fight for the last three years, but the actions of their respective promoters have probably stopped it from ever happening. Arum was involved in this fight as well of course, although by the looks of things, it was Donaire’s former promoter Gary Shaw that put the kibosh on it.
This latest news from Arum won’t make the fight single handedly, but it is a good sign that both sides are eager to make the fight happen and dispense with all of the speculation and posturing.
