Rival boxing promoters are still shaking their heads wondering if Golden Boy’s astute Richard Schaefer really informed the Los Angeles Times that HBO would provide money so that GBP can lock Juan Manuel Marquez down and prevent the Mexican counterpuncher from taking a Nov. 12 bout against Manny Pacquiao.
Some find it incredulous that HBO, which is sans Pacquiao and has the broadcast allegiance (for what it’s worth) of an inactive Floyd Mayweather Jr., would, in effect, provide funds to Oscar De La Hoya’s company when the prime cable network obviously is aching to bring Pacman back on board.
Schaefer said he has an open date booked Sept. 17 at MGM Grand in Las Vegas. One possibility is that Marquez could fight that day against welterweight world champion Victor Ortiz of Oxnard.
"Ortiz has fought at 140 pounds, so he could fight at 144 too," Schaefer said.
Regarding the finances, Schaefer said he was confident Golden Boy could secure a $5-million payday for Marquez, saying, "I'm sure HBO would be on board" to help finance the bout.
Pacquiao’s May 7 welterweight title defense against ex-GBP VP Sugar Shane Mosley was aired on PPV TV by Bob Arum’s Top Rank in conjunction with HBO rival Showtime/CBS.
I asked Arum Wednesday night if he was already talking to both HBO and Showtime about the Chapter 3 bout between bitter foes Juan Ma and Manny.
“No, because right now, I don’t have a fight to sell,” Arum said. “We gave our second offer sheet to Marquez, he accepted it (said to be $5 million guarantee and a $10 million rematch clause should upset the Pacquiao applecart) and now Juan Ma has set a deadline of 5 p.m. next Monday, Mexico City time, for Golden Boy (to exercise) their matching right.”
I would’ve called Mr. Schaefer for his take on this but he seems to have a preference of conversing with me only mano a mano.
“As I understand it,” Arum said, “Mr. Schaefer told the LA Times that he was misquoted (by reporter Lance Pugmire). I hear that Mr. Schaefer demanded a retraction.”
(BTW, Pugmire is a calm, careful reporter with years of experience so I doubt any misquotations here.)
From his obviously less-than-neutral perch, Arum thinks it was either hubris or a slip of the tongue by Schaefer.
“Mr. Schaefer may have spoken out of school,” Arum said.
In regards to Mosley’s weak effort, Arum said he thinks opponents are deceived by Pacman’s punching power until they actually taste it.
“Shane Mosley told me it wasn’t so much Manny’s speed as his power that affected him. Mosley and others can’t believe a guy so small can hit so hard.
“Mosley told me he never got hit so hard by anybody even with real, short punches. But look at Joshua Clottey, he was a guy known as a real warrior until he fought Manny in Dallas. There was no quit in the guy until he got tagged by a right hand in the first round by Manny, then he quit fighting,” Arum said.
“I think Manny’s deceptive in that he lands punches that don’t look like haymakers yet they really hurt them, really hurt Mosley, (Antonio) Margarito and Clottey.
“I don’t think Mosley fought like a guy getting $5 million, I can appreciate those (complaining about that)…
“The guys who did the most, did the best against Manny are the two insane Hispanic guys -- Cotto until he just could not stand anymore and Margarito, who took such a beating he will probably never fight again. Not to mention how Manny said good night to Hatton and made Oscar quit on the stool.”
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