There I was, just sorting out some junk around the home office, when I found a golden nugget.
‘ARUM JABS AT FLOYD CAMP’ reads the headline from The New York Daily News, in a story written by Mitch Abramson and dated Nov. 20, 2009.
Abramson’s lead was: ?The posturing over negotiations for possibly the most lucrative fight of all time has begun…?
The scribe goes on to report that Arum said that Pacman-Mayweather negotiations had hit a brick wall almost immediately in that Arum claimed Golden Boy’s Richard Schaefer had told that Mayweather was ?a promotional free agent.?
The easily-confused (haha) Arum then he was waiting for ?clear direction for who I’m supposed to negotiate with…Floyd can choose anyone he wishes to negotiate for him.
?I assume that Floyd wants to do the fight then that person will emerge. But Floyd doing it himself will be a catastrophe.?
The enterprising Abramson then rang up Mayweather aide Laughing Lenny Ellerbe and here comes the real gem:
?This is typical Arum, to be playing games like this. It’s no secret, the whole world knows both camps don’t see eye to eye. But Floyd has made it perfectly clear that he wants the fight.?
PAUSE FOR HUGE LAUGH TRACK.
Fast forward to the dog days of August, 2010, and we still don’t know who is representing Mayweather and who Arum should be huddling with to make the big match.
Based on his recent flirtations in Florida and Missouri with Don King, either Mayweather is sending a mesaage of unhappiness to both adviser Al Haymon and Golden Boy or he really intends to take on master promoter King as his main man.
I don’t think the very rich King or the even richer Haymon are losing much sleep over what Mayweather will do but his flings with King have been a public slap in the face to Haymon and to GBP although it must be noted the Goldens hold no contract on the undefeated boxer.
Someday but maybe not this calendar year we shall discover if Mayweather is ankling his old crew and hitching up with King, who turns 79 in four days.
Just for the record, that purported “Letter Of Intent” Mayweather has posted on his Twitter page did not come from King.
King signs fighters to lengthy, detailed contracts, not to letters of intent. King leaves that to high school blue chip football and basketball stars bound for college rides.
Btw, and you know I’m not one to gossip, Floyd has made zero fans out of King’s small but loyal band of employees.
After King’s Devon Alexander-Andriy Kotelnik show in St. Louis, he held one of his customary, late night postfight dinners.
The party rolled on to about 4 AM but none of King’s acolytes could get anywhere close to Mayweather for either autographs or even a photo.
?He was blocked off by about eight burly bodyguards,? one DKP hired hand said. ?We couldn’t even really say hello.
?Mike Tyson was like Officer Friendly compared to Mayweather, really.?
Maybe one of the beefy bodyguards will be Floyd’s next promoter.
And maybe someday Floyd will demonstrate that really and truly ?wants the fight.?
But I’m not holding my breath.
