NEW YORK — Although he would not admit it, Top Rank chairman Bob Arum would like the prospects of seeing Mexican Humberto Soto winning over Bobby Pacquiao on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden.
Though Bobby is the younger brother of Manny Pacquiao, who is Top Rank’s current toast, Arum prefers a Soto victory even if it will hurt Manny.
That’s because boxing is a big business here.
If Bobby wins, then a proposed mega-project will vanish in thin air.
And that’s explains why Soto is raring to get past Bobby.
A victory over Bobby will enable Soto to strengthen his chances of securing a big payday against Manny sometime in early-October.
In an interview with two scribes late Thursday afternoon, Arum bared that Soto appears to be tops on the short list of foes being eyed to face Pacquiao.
Soto would certainly like to score an impressive victory so it would make Manny’s blood boil and the Filipino lefty himself would announce right there and then that he will avenge his kid brother’s setback.
But those from Team Pacquiao are doing everything to prevent it from taking place and it would not come as a surprise to even Freddie Roach, one of the most discriminating cornermen, if Bobby comes out on top at the very same arena almost a year ago where Bobby posted an eye-popping fourth-round knockout win over Brooklyn’s Kevin Kelley.
Roach has been amazed with what Bobby’s been doing since they began working out at the Wild Card in Hollywood, California.
Soto is coming off an 18-fight winning streak and is armed with a 41-5-2 win-loss-draw card with 25 knockouts, while Bobby holds a 27-12-3 ledger with 12 stoppages.
