Bob Arum is more the hard-charging dynamo type than he is the thoughtful, contemplative and philosophical sort.
Still, in his 79th year of living and in his fifth decade of promoting world championship, I found Uncle Bob to be enthusiastic and pragmatic on the eve of yet another long flight from Las Vegas to Manila.
“I’m a double digit guy in terms of flights to the Philippines to check up on Manny Pacquiao by now,” the Head Honcho of Top Rank said by phone on Friday.
“Last year, I went over there four times, to two training camps, for his Congressional election and then in December for Manny’s birthday. This is my first trip for this year but there will be more.”
Arum, who promotes Sugar Shane Mosley-Pacquiao on PPV TV on May 7 at the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino in Vegas, said he will not have time to attend Friday night’s big boxing soiree in Manila, the “Flash Elorde Awards” ceremony and dinner at the Sofitel Hotel.
So it’s unlikely that Arum will cross paths with promotional renegade and “Filipino Flash” Nonito Donaire Jr, who this week dumped Top Rank and inked a deal with archrival Golden Boy.
Arum will go to see Pacman in Bagui and fly back Thursday to Vegas in time for a Junior League event where his wife, Lovee, is being honored for charity work.
Would Arum take Donaire, age 28, back if things did not work with Oscar De La Hoya?
Does Arum every worry that cash cow Pacman will similarly bolt for a new pasture?
And does the promoter with the rattlesnake hide exterior ever take it personally when a fighter defects?
First, Arum discussed his general mood.
“I am upbeat, yes I am,” Arum said. “Mayorga-Cotto numbers continue to come in, although sporadically and satelitte numbers were good and the Puerto Rico buy rate is terrific. So I’m certainly upbeat. I’m also getting glowing reports on Manny, just splendid but I like to go see for myself. But his camp has been everything we could hope for and my reports are usually reliable on that.”
Due to imminent litigation against Golden Boy over Donaire, Arum would not discuss his defection directly.
But he did talk about fighters who stayed loyal to TR and some who jumped the fence to go elsehwere.
Arum says such fighter movement is just part and parcel of the industry.
“You deal with so many different individuals and different egos,” Arum said. “It’s an inevitable thing that happens over the years. I remember with Michael Carbajal, the first little guy to get $1 million and he got it from me.
“My relationship with him and his (manager-trainer) brother Danny was like family. We never even had a contract. But Danny, who is in prison now, took him to, of all people, Don King.”
Arum also recalled how De La Hoya beat feet and then came back to him.
“He did two fights with Jerry Perenchio and then Oscar came back to me to fight (Fernando) Vargas and (Bernard) Hopkins.”
Arum said he never makes such issues personal, although he realizes some of his employees sometimes take it that way.
“With me, it’s always about business is business. I never make it personal. I just see it as part of the business and you deal with it.”
More to come: Arum discusses Pacquiao, Roberto Duran, Paulie Ayala and Marvelous Marvin Hagler.
