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Philippines, 25 Mar 2025 |
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Be True To Yourself, Bob Arum (Last of a Series) By Winchell Campos PhilBoxing.com Tue, 11 Jul 2017  GENERAL SANTOS CITY--There used to be a time when the cardinal rule was: What Bob Arum wants, Bob Arum gets. Time's a changin', Mr. Arum. Bob, you made it a personal issue when you attacked me through a mouthpiece, Michael Woods of RingTV.com, who published an interview last July 6. The Ring didn't even bother to check facts, desecrating a very basic rule in journalism: get both sides of the story. https://www.ringtv.com/504238-bob-arum-media-philippines-making-crap/ In its story, "Bob Arum: The Media in the Philippines is 'Making Up Crap'," Arum insulted, disgraced, diminished and devalued this writer and more than two and a half decades of journalistic experience. Be true to yourself, Bob. I am no longer surprised. If Bob can devalue, insult and diminish the stature of Manny Pacquiao, he can do that to any boxer in the world, much more, a lowly scribe. Ask Oscar dela Hoya and Floyd Mayweather, two former milking cows who have found out that life is greener on the other side when they got out of their promotional contracts with Top Rank, your promotional firm. In the words of Arum, he made it appear that I am someone who "Manny feels sorry for." Like a little boy who tried to win a word war, Arum said "I wasn't within the tight inner circle of people who could actually relay how the fighter is feeling." Said Arum: "He's been writing a Pacquiao biography for 15 years. Manny feels sorry for him." Be true to yourself, Bob. I was there when Pacquiao mowed down every Top Rank fighter thrown at him. Yes, we lost once to Erik Morales on March 19, 2005, when our side of camp was in disarray and for some strange reason, the Nevada State Athletic Commission mysteriously "misplaced" laboratory results and ordered Pacquiao to undergo another round of laboratory exams including drawing blood and administration of eye drops which rendered Pacquiao sightless for several hours. We learned our lessons and annihilated Morales in the succeeding return bout and the next rubber match, much to your consternation, Bob. We beat your boy Juan Manuel Marquez, too. Then, you felt the need to sign up Pacquiao. As the saying went, "if you can't beat 'em, sign 'em up." Be true to yourself, Bob. I was there when Pacquiao signed up with Oscar dela Hoya. I was also there when you tried to counter that deal by signing up Pacquiao to a more lucrative deal. Do you remember flying us out on a private jet from Los Angeles to Las Vegas and back? You were so very (I know, that's redundant) kind to me and Manny Pacquiao's lawyer, Franklin "Jeng" Gacal at the time. You would have granted any other requests we asked for. Was I amused with all the sudden attention and pampering given to someone you abscribe as a "nobody" in Pacquiao's camp? Nah! I felt like that poor boxer. "You are only as good as your last fight!" Be true to yourself, Bob. During the Golden Boy Promotions versus Top Rank Inc. arbitration case, I had to face a battery of lawyers for a whole day for my deposition. I still keep that whole ream of paperwork to this very day as a remembrance. For all the good things that we shared, you claim to intentionally "play cold" to me for whatever reason, when we bumped into each other in Brisbane. That's just you, Bob. Yes, I greeted you first at the Sofitel hotel lobby out of respect, and also for being an elderly person. In that Ringtv.com interview, you knowingly indicated that you gave me the cold shoulder treatment because you intentionally didn't give me that "warm and fuzzy" treatment. "Maybe I was cold to Campos but the idea that I was cold to Manny, c'mon," said Arum. "The people making these statements are rank outsiders. That (Aquilles) Zonio, that guy I never heard of! Media manager, what the f**k is that?!" Do we need to show off or announce to the world who we are? No need, Mr. Arum! Zonio and I would have wanted to tell you what we know but we will just keep it to ourselves. For now... Be true to yourself, Bob. You claim to have a contract that runs well into 2018 and have a very, very good relationship with Pacquiao? Where do you think we get our facts from? You know, deep inside yourself, that we don't invent the facts, like good, old Philippine-trained writers. Likewise, fellow writer Michael Woods would have exposed us for being sham writers holding on to nothing, and our articles were of no basis but hooey. In the same phone-in interview with the Ring, Arum didn't refute my claims that he tried to sneak a fast one on Pacquiao by making him agree to a 30-20-50 split of the revenues. Instead, he just dismissed these as "total craziness." "The Australia guy had to be paid," said Arum. But truth will come out later. Pacquiao was just offered a 30 percent stake in or around January 2017. It was the main reason why Pacquiao ordered his lieutenants to search for a different fight in the United Arab Emirates, without Arum in the picture. Arum was supposed to get 20 percent and the "Australian guy" gets 50 percent in that "30-20-50" split scheme. Arum didn't deny nor confirm this, but instead, he just claimed it all as "crap," in a "thundering voice." Still, Arum thinks the Top Rank-Pacquiao marriage remains on solid ground. Don't look at me. I am just chronicling events as they unfold. And the Pacquiao biography will come out as agreed upon: Only upon Pacquiao has fought his last. This time around, Arum is singing a different tune: Pacquiao clearly won against Horn, even after the WBO has come up with a review of the fight per round and declaring Horn as official winner! I can't blame Uncle Bob. Either he is just being very honest, so suddenly, or he is just doing this to get back to Pacquiao's loving arms which could translate into extra millions of dollars. Bob is just being true to himself now. That is what he whispered to Pacquiao's ears when he was about to get stitched up for head butting injuries. "You clearly won!" I bet Bob Arum whispered the same to Jeff Horn, too. 
Taken in 2005 when Manny Pacquiao faced Erik Morales for the 2nd time. Pacquiao was once promoted by Gary Shaw of GSP while Morales was with his promoter, Bob Arum of Top Rank Promotions, Inc. Photo credit: Winchell Campos. Click here to view a list of other articles written by Winchell Campos.  |
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