In trying to understand the inexplicable split decision win for Timothy Bradley over Manny Pacquiao last night the phrase “follow the money” keeps jumping into my head. I’m not scholar enough to know if that quote comes from Vladimir Lenin or Woodward and Bernstein, but I do know that where ever something fishy is going on involving millions of dollars that somebody is probably up to something and the most suspicious somebody is the one who stands to make the most money.
In the case of Pacquiao vs Bradley, that someone is Top Rank promoter Bob Arum who handles both fighters. Word is that Arum was likely to lose Pacquiao in 2013 but a Bradley win triggers a contractually mandated rematch that Arum will promote.
Arum talked to ESPN after the fight, was he crying crocodile tears?
“I’ve never been as ashamed of the sport of boxing as I am tonight.
“I’ll make a lot of money off the rematch, but this was outrageous,” he said.
Here’s what Scott Christ of Bad Left Hook has to say:
Well, here’s the deal. Arum says he’s concerned about the credibility of the sport, but whatever. The sport’s credibility has probably been in the crapper for long enough at this point that it probably is more akin to a long-term floater than a fresh turd in the bowl.
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Also, Arum not only doesn’t have to hear “Mayweather-Pacquiao” again for the rest of 2012, but he doesn’t have to deal with that damned Juan Manuel Marquez and his demands and ego, either. He’s got another Top Rank vs Top Rank fight for November. I’m not accusing him of anything. I’m saying as a promoter, he can’t really be that unhappy with what’s going down here. There’s a lot of potential upside if they figure out the right approach.
ESPN’s Teddy Atlas has the most in-depth and outrageous take on Arum’s potential malfeasance, we’ll hear from him after the jump.
