BOB ARUM remains hopeful that he would succeed in pitting his fair-haired boy Manny Pacquiao with Marco Antonio Barrera as the Top Rank big boss revealed that he is giving Barrera and his promotional outfit Golden Boy Promotions until January 12 to accept his offer.
“We have given Manny Pacquiao a list of nine world-class fighters, and we’re giving Barrera and Golden Boy until January 12 to make a deal. If they don’t, we’ll move on to the other nine opponents,” Arum said.
“There’s one attraction and that’s Manny Pacquiao. Barrera is not an attraction and if he doesn’t fight Pacquiao, who is he going to fight? Is he going to fight (Juan Manuel) Marquez? If he does, that’s not attraction,” said Arum.
“With the domestic television in the United States, with the television in Manila and with the fact that you could get the opponent for something reasonable, there’s well over $ 5 million for Pacquiao,” said Arum, noting that the Filipino lefty is the fighter fight fans want to see and not Barrera or somebody else.
Golden Boy had earlier imposed a January 1 ultimatum to Pacquiao and Top Rank as the Oscar De La Hoya-owned company insists that it will arrange a fight between Barrera and Marquez in the event Pacquiao declines the GBP offer.
GBP wants the Pacquiao-Barrera rematch to take place on March 17 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, but Pacquiao told the Bulletin on the eve of New Year’s Day that that date is too close and that he prefers the Top Rank date of April 28.
Top Rank is dangling a paycheck of $ 2.5 million for Barrera plus an upside of the pay-per-view revenue.
Pacquiao hasn’t fought since destroying Erik Morales last Nov. 18 in Las Vegas and the smashing victory over El Terrible made him boxing’s most exciting fighter today.
