The settlement conference between Top Rank and Golden Boy went on as scheduled Sunday in Los Angeles but no specific details were provided to the media as ordered by the presiding judge.
“We’re not allowed to say anything,” Bob Arum told The STAR which got in touch with the Top Rank big boss after the mediation process the lasted from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
“The judge wanted us to observe confidentiality. And both parties will do that. The judge will continue with the mediation sometime next week,” added the 75-year-old promoter, not giving a hint of how the proceeding, aimed at settling Top Rank-Golden Boy dispute over the promotional rights to Manny Pacquiao, went through.
Boxingconfidential.com, however, reported a “significant progress” in the mediation that resumes Monday. Reportedly, there were talks of “sharing” the promotional rights over Pacquiao.
If nothing comes out of the mediation, the case, which stemmed from the fact that Pacquiao signed promotional contracts with both Top Rank and Golden Boy, will continue.
Last Wednesday and Friday the Filipino superstar made his deposition before Golden Boy lawyers, and, under oath, shared his personal knowledge of the facts surrounding the case.
The mediation being extended means that no announcement may yet come from Arum regarding Pacquiao’s next fight, tentatively scheduled Oct. 6 in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Verbally, Pacquiao is set to face Mexico’s Humberto Soto next, and many believe only a settlement between Top Rank and Golden Boy could derail this fight.
Pacquiao and Soto are both under Top Rank, which is facing the grim task of pitting the Filipino against Golden Boy fighters like Juan Manuel Marquez and Marco Antonio Barrera because of the case.
Arum said a settlement will open the windows to any possibility, which may include a Pacquiao fight with any of Golden Boy’s men, including Joan Guzman or Edwin Valero.
Marquez, the reigning WBC super-featherweight champion, is also set to face Argentina’s Jorge Barrios, also of Golden Boy, on Sept. 15 in Las Vegas.
Again, only a settlement between Top Rank and Golden Boy could derail this fight.
“What happens this coming weekend could change the whole Pacman situation. A settlement with Golden Boy, if it happens, opens up the whole picture,” said Arum.
