The worst fear any parent can have about one of their children has been realized by legendary boxing promoter Bob Arum.
I have confirmed with an official from North Cascade National Park in Washington State that the sad word circulating around boxing circles ithat John B. Arum, 49 year old attorney son of Manny Pacquiao’s handler, has been found dead on or near Storm King Mountain, a 8,115-foot peak within the national park is, indeed, true.
Minutes ago, park spokeswomen Kerry Olson told me that John Arum’s body was discovered by one of the helicopters searching near the mountain summit. She said the family had been notified and that plans were being formulated to recover the body in area of loose rocks where helicopters are unable to land.
“We are making the recovery plan,” Olson said. “Now it’s about recovering his body. He was discovered through an aerial search at about 4:30 pm, PDT, and his body was at about the 7,700-foot level, about 300 feet away from his fanny pack had been discovered Thursday.”
Friday was the fifth day that air and ground search parties sought to find Arum, whose 78 year old father has been on the scene and consulting with search organizers since Tuesday.
John was a specialist in environmental and tribal law and an accomplished mountain climber who was on a quest to climb the state’s highest peaks..
It is believed that John, despite his real expertise in ascending mountains, slipped and fell somehow.
Earlier in the week, searchers first found his backpack on a clearly marked train going up to the peak and then found his day or fanny pack. It was the location where the latter was discovered that made the searchers think John had taken a serious fall either going up to or coming down from the summit.
Olson had informed earlier on Friday that temperatures in the search area were a comfortable 60-plus degrees and that it was sunny.
Arum’s family reported him missing on Monday. They had expected his return from his solo trip on Sunday.
His father, also an attorney in addition to being a Hall Of Fame promoter who has also promoted fights for such ring greats as Muhammad Ali, Marvelous Marvin Hagler and Roberto Duran, ran an Antonio Margarito-Pacman press conference in Beverly Hills Tuesday afternoon even though he had been informed his son was missing.
Arum and current wife Lovee then flew to Seattle to get involved in the hunt.
I’ve known the irascible Arum for 40 years and once met John when he was a teenager attending an Ali-Joe Bugner fight in Las Vegas.
My condolences go out to the entire Arum family.
His fame and his fortune certainly do not cushion this powerful emotional blow for a man who was extremely proud of his first born child.
