“Sunshine Boys” Donald King and Robert Arum are cozy and comfy for their March 12 MGM Grand Hotel PPV TV fight card featuring Miguel Cotto, the Boricua Banger, and Nicaraguan Joker Running Wild, Ricardo Mayorga.
But don’t think Arum, at 79 the same age as The Don, has any illusions that he and DK will be smoking the same peace pipe when it comes to making the Fight of the Century between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Arum’s been reading the same breadcrumbs that I have and, he admitted Friday to me that he thinks the ongoing flirtation between the legendary “Only In America” man King and the egomaniacal Mayweather is a thing of the past.
So Mayweather’s visits with King in South Florida and his being a ringside guest of the promoter at a show in St. Louis have not added up to much, Arum conceded.
(See terrific Dan Wetzel Yahoo feature on DK.)
The Top Rank head honcho believes he and his stepson and TR president Todd duBoef will have to make the megafight with Mayweather representative Al Haymon, hardly an Arum favorite and vice versa.
I noted in this space recently how longtime aide Leonard Ellerbe accompanied Mayweather to a criminal court appearance this past Monday and how Haymon aide de camp Smiling Sam Watson was at the jailhouse exit door the last time the undefeated fighter had to be bailed out.
Arum’s not blind to these sightings.
“No, I agree with that,” Arum said. “Floyd is with Haymon or he is back again with Haymon. I think his flirting with King is something over and done with.”
What’s likely is that, when it comes to talk Floyd-Manny, Arum will let duBoef be the point man as he has been in dealing with Golden Boy with whom Arum also has a prickly relationship and history.
Arum added that, while Mayweather’s “Baby Mama Drama” assault case (Josie Harris, who is the mother of three Mayweather children) is pending and Pacman has Mosley looming May 7, there is no reason to discuss the big matchup. “Why should we? I don’t know if he is going to prison. I hope not but I don’t know. They just delayed his case because, obviously, his attorneys are trying to work out a plea deal. I have some knowledge about how things work in Las Vegas and I don’t think they have made any agreement.”
Mayweather returns to court on March 10, making that appearance part of the prefight Mayorga-Cotto “buildup” for local and visiting fight scribes.
