Memo to: Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer From: Top Rank CEO Robert Arum Re: Manny Pacquaio vs. Joan Guzman, October 6, Vancouver Message: Please call 702 732 2717
That’s right, fight fans. Bob Arum is not the type of guy to let a major lawsuit stop him from doing other profitable pugilistic business with a legal adversary. So, even though the Golden Boy himself was deposed by Arum’s uberlawyer Daniel Petrocelli in Los Angeles Wednesday in the ongoing lawsuit over the promotional rights to Pacman, Arum is all ears waiting for a phone call from both Schaefer and Guzman co-promoter Glenn Quiroga of Sycuan Ringside Promotions.
“We’ve got a date and we’ve got a venue,” Arum said. “I spoke to the people at the venue late this morning. We’ve got Vancouver for October 6. Let me be clear. We want to do this fight, Pacman vs. Guzman in Canada. I had conversations with the Sycuan people, I met with Scott Woodworth and Scott said he didn’t think I’d want Richard to be part of the negotiations.
“But that’s silly,” Arum said, “I mean, what am I afraid of? That’s just ludicrous. I would be very happy for Richard to take part in the negotiations. I have no problem with that. Let’s get going on this. Don King and I co-promoted fights when we were sueing each other so what’s the problem?”
I made a call to Schaefer at the GBP office and it was returned but we missed connecting. There was no response from an email sent to Quiroga and Woodworth. Guzman manager Jose Nunez was contacted but refrained from comment on the situation.
On this possible megafight, at least, Top Rank and Golden Boy may be in sync because a source with knowledge of the situation told me Wednesday night that GBP’s Schaefer and matchmaker Eric Gomez have plainly said they do not want to hold Guzman, the undefeated Dominican who holds the WBO super featherweight title belt, back if he can get a big money date against the Pinoy national idol.
Further, Arum explained, both Pacman and trainer Freddie Roach have “greenlighted” Guzman as Manny’s next opponent. Despite all the bad blood between them, it seems that Roach and Pacquaio adviser Michael Koncz are on speaking terms at least as far as Manny’s boxing agenda and schedule goes.Or, if the trainer and Koncz do not converse directly they speak through intermediary Bruce Trampler, the Top Rank matchmaker.
And, evidently, Roach and Trampler are in harmony about Pacman’s next foe being Guzman and not Golden Boy’s WBC champ Juan Manuel Marquez.
Arum confirmed as much. Acting through agent Koncz, Pacman last week sent a letter to WBC president Jose Sulaiman which said the Filipino southpaw slugger was not interested in a June 18 purse bid for a title chance against the Mexican Marquez.
“Look, everybody wants Pacman because he is the attraction, because he is where the money is,” Arum said. “Manny will fight Marquez but he wants that to come after he fights Guzman. I know Richard is conflicted because they have Guzman and Marquez but Manny wants to fight Guzman first.”
Sulaiman made a curious comment about Pacman “having a mouse in his shoe,” implying, I guess, that Pacman is fearful of Marquez. Arum said that is utter nonsense.
“What does that expression mean? I’ve never heard it before. What we didn’t want and Manny didn’t want is a 75-25 purse split. Sulaiman can say now it was going to be 50-50 but even that doesn’t work. There will be no Pacquaio-Marquez fight at a 50-50 split.
Pacman will be meeting in person shortly with Arum as he, his wife and children take a vacation in the U.S. Pacman will be in New York for the Boxing Writers Association Dinner June 8 and, the following night, he’ll be at ringside at Madison Square Garden for Arum’s Miguel Cotto-Zab Judah WBA welterweight title bout. Pacman obviously will be more keenly interesting in cheering on his brother Bobby “The Sniper” Pacquaio who fights rugged Mexican mauler Humberto Soto.
It’s up to GBP and Sycuan, Uncle Bob just wants you to play dial a fight.
