Uncle Bob Arum, who long promoted Oscar de la Hoya, has good news and bad news for his former charge turned promotional rival.
What do you guys think Oskie wants first, the Golden news or the sad news?
I view Oscar as an eternal if not infernal optimist so I think he would prefer to have the good news so that is the way I will deliver it.
Remember, Oskie and Richie Rich Schaefer, it is not nice to shoot the messenger.
GOOD NEWS: The Top Honcho from Top Rank more than welcomes an all Mexican showdown bout between Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., son of the nation’s ultimate ring legend, and red hot Golden Boy prospect, the 20 year old Saul Canelo Alvarez. Pause.
BAD NEWS: Unca Roberto told me on Friday that GBP can’t put that enticing matchup together without dealing with him or drawing yet another lawsuit to throw into the volatile already litgation mix between the two companies.
Oscar, perhaps in a bit of wishful or wistful thinking, just told AOL Fan House’s peripatetic Elie Seckbach:
“I believe that it’s a possibility, absolutely. I believe that Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. made some comments about him being a free agent in Mexico. He has no more contract with Top Rank. He has no more contract with [manager Fernando] Beltran. Obviously, if that’s the case, then Julio Cesar Chavez has reached out to us already, saying that we can talk to him,” said De La Hoya.
“Well, obviously, we will talk to him and we can talk to him if he has no contract — if that’s the case. But we respect every other contract that every fighter has with every promoter,” said De La Hoya. “But if that’s the case, then that would be a very special project that we would put together over the next two, three years. Because a fight like that between [Alvarez] and Chavez Jr. would be huge. If Chavez Jr. wants to sit down and talk to us, we’re more than happy to talk to him if he has no contract.”
See Wikipedia brief bio on Enterprising Elie, who hails from Israel and now works the Hollywood beat.
For his part, Arum says TR has young Chavez locked up contractually for about another two years and eight or nine months.
Which brings up the question as to why ODLH would make such on the record remarks?
“This moron does things like this,” Arum said. “He should shut up but, at this point, all we can do is send him a (cease and desist legal) letter.
“I had Julio in my office here in Vegas last week. He was pissed off at (Mexican promoter and Arum ally) Fernando Beltran because he felt Beltran wasn’t giving him the proper attention. That has been patched up, everything is fine. “We thought we would make Chavez and Miguel Cotto for December but we couldn’t get it done just now. We felt that Julio needs the full attention of his trainer (Coach Freddie Roach) and he can’t get that now because of Manny’s upcoming fight against Margarito.
“We can put that fight on next year, probably by March.”
“Oscar is just clueless, really. He is just not very smart. I would welcome Chavez against their guy., Alvarez. Alvarez is a prospect, yeah, but I don’t see anything overwhelming there. Any top black fighter with fast hands will destroy him,” Arum said.
“We could put our guy Mike Jones in there, he’d beat Alvarez also. Alvarez is not a bum but he’s not overwhleming. I like my chances against him with Chavez or Mike Jones. They’ve got a young prospect who can be built as an attraction but you can’t teach (hand) speed and Alvarez doesn’t have it.”
Aruum said Golden Boy filed its recent litgation against Top Rank and cited civil RICO violations “as a smear tactic. “This case will be sent by the federal court back to Judge Weinstein, the arbitrator, where we agreed to settle such differences. Our settlement provided that all disputes go back before Judge Weinstein.”
GBP claims Top Rank has cheated them out of money due regarding Manny Pacquiao bouts.
Over to you, Primo Oskie.
