By Michael Marley
Mark your calendars.
There are only 364 shopping days until fight promoter Bob Arum officially becomes an octogenarian.
Be advised, however, that Octomom and octogenarians have nothing in common.
But, if you think that advacing age will turn the Top Rank head honcho into some kind of mellow fellow, think again.
I spoke to Arum Thursday night on a variety of fistic topics, including his distate for all this Internet "calling out" between fighters who are wildly disparate in size.
"The whole thing is ridiculous," Arum said. "Freddie Roach calls out Sergio Martinez to fight Manny (Pacquiao) and then Freddie says, well, Martinez has to weigh 147 pounds. What does he expect the middleweight champion to do, lose one arm to make weight?
"It's like this talk about my guy, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. fighting (Golden Boy's) "Canelo" Alvarez. Chavez is a full-fledged middleweight while Canelo is a welterweight. Chavez would kick the bleep out of him and he should being so much bigger," Arum said.
Arum said the "calling out" may get even more absurd.
"It's so ridiculous now that I could come out say, well let Pacquiao fight one of the Klitschkos. Everybody in the business is doing this crazy thing and it is just nonsense."
I asked Uncle Roberto about reports that (the real) Oscar de la Hoya wished him a happy 79th birthday and made an apology for some mean words on Twitter.
Arum won't accept the digital "my bad."
"In my world, you do not do a digital apolgy. What you do, what a man does, is pick up the phone and call someone and then man to man say what you've got to say. That's the way men do it."
Arum said his wife, Lovee, is feverishly working on the big VIP list for Pacman's 32nd birthday bash to be held at the Shangri-La Hotel in the swanky Makati section of Manila next Wednesday. Among the boxing VIPs attending, Arum said, will be Juan Manuel Lopez and Fil-Am Nonito Donaire Jr.
Will Sugar Shane Mosley, odds-on favorite to get the assignment as Manny's spring foe, be at the swinging soiree?
"No, he won't," Arum said, "because that would be presumptuos. I'm going to present the offers from Mosley, from (Juan Manuel) Marquez and (Andre) Berto to Manny and see what he says. We'll go over all the candidates."
Lou DiBella was busy on the phone Wednesday calling me and other fight scribes to blast Arum for blowing up a possible Martinez-Miguel Cotto spring bout. Arum said he had a verbal understanding with Martinez guy Sampson Lerwkowicz but that it was DiBella who squawked.
DiBella's chief plaint was that Arum offered $2.5 million for Martinez and that he countered by doubling down, offering Cotto and Arum a $5 million guarantee with one of those sometimes elusive PPV TV "upsides."
Arum said DiBella misplayed his negotiating hand.
"What is he doing calling the media when negotiations were ongoing? Sampson is the manager, huge was at my office and we had an understading for a fall fight with Cotto and Martinez fighting other guys first and then fighting each other.
"Is it an ego problem for Lou...I don't know," Arum said. "He's offering me millions here, millions there on a pay per view show where nothing is guaranteed? I mean, come on Lou, give me a break!"
Lats time I checked, the Argentine Strongman (and he works with Sampson, how appropriate) was being mentioned as taking on some guy named Sebastian "Eye Chart" Zibk in his next bout. I wonder how many zbiscuits Martinez will earn then.
Arum, whose clear goal is to make the revenge themed rematch between Cotto and Antonio Margarito, said no further Martinez discussions are planned.
Now Arum is focused on flying to Manila to fete and consult with his main Manny.
I wonder if all three of Bob's envelopes only contain the name of Shane Donte Mosley. or maybe one envelope contains Mosley's name and the other are filled with confetti.
Unlike the Academy Awards, Price & Waterhouse will not be checking out how these prizewinning envelopes are handled.
http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&id=33711
Mark your calendars.
There are only 364 shopping days until fight promoter Bob Arum officially becomes an octogenarian.
Be advised, however, that Octomom and octogenarians have nothing in common.
But, if you think that advacing age will turn the Top Rank head honcho into some kind of mellow fellow, think again.
I spoke to Arum Thursday night on a variety of fistic topics, including his distate for all this Internet "calling out" between fighters who are wildly disparate in size.
"The whole thing is ridiculous," Arum said. "Freddie Roach calls out Sergio Martinez to fight Manny (Pacquiao) and then Freddie says, well, Martinez has to weigh 147 pounds. What does he expect the middleweight champion to do, lose one arm to make weight?
"It's like this talk about my guy, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. fighting (Golden Boy's) "Canelo" Alvarez. Chavez is a full-fledged middleweight while Canelo is a welterweight. Chavez would kick the bleep out of him and he should being so much bigger," Arum said.
Arum said the "calling out" may get even more absurd.
"It's so ridiculous now that I could come out say, well let Pacquiao fight one of the Klitschkos. Everybody in the business is doing this crazy thing and it is just nonsense."
I asked Uncle Roberto about reports that (the real) Oscar de la Hoya wished him a happy 79th birthday and made an apology for some mean words on Twitter.
Arum won't accept the digital "my bad."
"In my world, you do not do a digital apolgy. What you do, what a man does, is pick up the phone and call someone and then man to man say what you've got to say. That's the way men do it."
Arum said his wife, Lovee, is feverishly working on the big VIP list for Pacman's 32nd birthday bash to be held at the Shangri-La Hotel in the swanky Makati section of Manila next Wednesday. Among the boxing VIPs attending, Arum said, will be Juan Manuel Lopez and Fil-Am Nonito Donaire Jr.
Will Sugar Shane Mosley, odds-on favorite to get the assignment as Manny's spring foe, be at the swinging soiree?
"No, he won't," Arum said, "because that would be presumptuos. I'm going to present the offers from Mosley, from (Juan Manuel) Marquez and (Andre) Berto to Manny and see what he says. We'll go over all the candidates."
Lou DiBella was busy on the phone Wednesday calling me and other fight scribes to blast Arum for blowing up a possible Martinez-Miguel Cotto spring bout. Arum said he had a verbal understanding with Martinez guy Sampson Lerwkowicz but that it was DiBella who squawked.
DiBella's chief plaint was that Arum offered $2.5 million for Martinez and that he countered by doubling down, offering Cotto and Arum a $5 million guarantee with one of those sometimes elusive PPV TV "upsides."
Arum said DiBella misplayed his negotiating hand.
"What is he doing calling the media when negotiations were ongoing? Sampson is the manager, huge was at my office and we had an understading for a fall fight with Cotto and Martinez fighting other guys first and then fighting each other.
"Is it an ego problem for Lou...I don't know," Arum said. "He's offering me millions here, millions there on a pay per view show where nothing is guaranteed? I mean, come on Lou, give me a break!"
Lats time I checked, the Argentine Strongman (and he works with Sampson, how appropriate) was being mentioned as taking on some guy named Sebastian "Eye Chart" Zibk in his next bout. I wonder how many zbiscuits Martinez will earn then.
Arum, whose clear goal is to make the revenge themed rematch between Cotto and Antonio Margarito, said no further Martinez discussions are planned.
Now Arum is focused on flying to Manila to fete and consult with his main Manny.
I wonder if all three of Bob's envelopes only contain the name of Shane Donte Mosley. or maybe one envelope contains Mosley's name and the other are filled with confetti.
Unlike the Academy Awards, Price & Waterhouse will not be checking out how these prizewinning envelopes are handled.
http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&id=33711