Pacquiao-Mayweather insider perspective: What Arum wants, Arum gets

Freddie Roach, Bob Arum, and Manny Pacquiao (Photo Credit: Chris Farina)

It’s hard to imagine what was going through the mind of Bob Arum last Saturday night when two of his most coveted prize fighters, Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto, went to battle at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. It goes without saying that a lot of emotions were on the line for the famed promoter, who has a deep interest in both men both personally and financially. When the smoke had cleared Pacquiao walked away with another dominant victory and Arum, probably both a little overjoyed and deflated at the same time, began eyeing the future.
 
One man who has gotten a true sense for the business acumen of Arum is 411 Mania correspondent Ryan Bates, who worked in Arum’s Top Rank offices for nearly two years. Bates’ got to see first hand just how well oiled a machine Top Rank is, and can attest first hand that Arum is both diligent and calculating in running the company. Despite some thinking Arum may be in the game only for dollars, Bates personally feels that Arum did have a side to him that showed true care in regards to his fighters.  

“Most of them, yeah,” Bates claims. “The smaller ones he obviously wanted to make top dollar with but he also showed signs that he cared. He genuinely has the best concerns for his fighters simply because if his fighters are taken care of then he is making money. Most of the time he matches his guys up in fights where he believes they can win while also earning him profit.”

Despite Top Rank being a business and Arum being a shrewd businessman, some obvious emotions have to come into play when grooming your fighters and seeing them climb the ladders of success. In taking a look at both Pacquiao and Cotto, Bates believes that both men did have a soft spot in Arum’s heart.

“I overheard him talking the day before the fight,” Bates points out. “Somebody asked him how it would be watching the fight since he cared about both fighters. He said that it was going to be tough. He definitely cares about Manny. He’s like a son to him, and Cotto he has been with since the beginning of his career pretty much so it was like watching his two kids go at it. He definitely felt Cotto’s loss but at the same time he felt Pacquiao’s win.”

At the post fight press conference Arum seemed to be multi-tasking in the sense that he was drowning Pacquiao with praise while also taking time to stop and eye what the future held for his fighter. It was announced that Arum would be looking to make a match between Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr., who he used to promote. It has been said that Arum and Golden Boy promotions’ Richard Schaefer are getting ready to do their work at the negotiating table any day now. From having great love for Pacquiao and obvious dislike for Mayweather, Arum is a man who always has much to say and Bates believes that just about every last word is genuine.

“Bob will say what’s on his mind and everything he said at the press conference is what he was really thinking,” Bates says reflecting back on Saturday night. “He was obviously abusive with his praise of Pacquiao so that was obviously what was going through his mind. I tell you straight up that the whole drama between Bob and Floyd is genuine, it’s not a show. They don’t like each other whatsoever. Still, Bob went on the record and said that whether he likes Floyd or not, if Pacquiao wants to fight him then he won’t stop him. It seems that it is pretty much up to Floyd right now.”

Pacquiao-Mayweather isn’t just a fight that many want to see; it’s a showdown that most people believe needs to happen. It’s hard to understate the conviction in which some are speaking in regards to wanting the match to happen, but Bates isn’t one to rush ahead. Despite also wanting to see the match become a reality the Vegas resident isn’t so sure that both sides really want it.

“It’s really going to come down to Floyd,” Bates says point blank. “If Floyd really wants it then he will make it happen. But excuses are already starting to come out. Stating that ‘If Manny really wants it then he will say it himself’, but shortly thereafter Pacquiao was on ESPN claiming he wanted to fight Mayweather. That excuse is gone but I wonder what is his next one?”

Some are calling a Pacquiao-Mayweather bout perhaps the biggest event of all time, and while that may be going slightly overboard it would certainly be an event of epic proportions. Still, while Arum may be open to the thought of the matchup taking place he doesn’t seem to be rushing to make it happen. It’s obviously hard to gauge Arum’s tactics and mindset, but for the moment it seems like something he could live with or live without.

“If Bob wants it Bob will get it,” Bates notes. “The fact that he’s not pushing for it is either one of two things. Either he genuinely could feel one way or another about it or it’s just a tactical ploy. He may be acting like it isn’t important to him just to spite Floyd and make him feel that he’s unwanted. Maybe in doing that Floyd will take the bait.”

If for some reason the Mayweather meeting doesn’t transpire it’s hard to imagine what would be next for either man. One rumor that Bates heard recently was that a third tussle between Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez could end up making its way to the surface.

“That’s been something that has been floating around,” Bates continues. “Pacquiao-Marquez III is a fight I would have loved to see a while back. You had the draw in the first fight and the controversial decision by Pacquiao in the second fight. I can say on one hand that the fight deserves to happen but I can tell you right now that Pacquiao would win, hands down. On the same coin it’s like why do it? We saw how Marquez looked against Floyd and we saw how Pacquiao looked against Cotto.”

To almost look down on Pacquiao and Marquez fighting each other again shows just how meaningful a Pacquiao-Mayweather clash is. As Arum is reaching his closing years as a promoter it could possibly be one of his defining nights. Bates wholeheartedly agrees and sees it as perhaps the grand achievement in Arum’s well documented time in the sport.

“It would be the biggest thing he has done, hands down. Yeah, he’s promoted Ali and Tommy Hearns and De La Hoya and Floyd for a while but this is different. He has his fighter, one of the best of the era, going up against another great fighter who says that he is the best of all time. To have those two go at it would be the biggest thing he’s done.”

Based out of Las Vegas, Ryan Bates is a correspondent for 411 Mania, a co-host to the '3 More Rounds' podcast and an aspiring amateur fighter.

To read more about Bates' time working in Top Rank, click HERE

To read Bates' latest article, where he questions the motives of Floyd Mayweather Jr., click HERE

Chris Robinson is a freelance writer based out of Las Vegas, Nevada. He can be reached at Trimond@aol.com and www.FaceBook.com/CRHarmony. More of his work in regards to a Pacquiao-Mayweather showdown can be found below...

To Hear Paulie Malignaggi's thoughts on Manny Pacquiao, click HERE

To read about veteran boxing scribe Michael Marley's weekend in Vegas, click HERE

For Pacquiao-Cotto: The story in Pictures, click HERE

To Hear what Manny and Coach Roach had to say about the fight, please click HERE

To Read more about Manny Pacquiao's victory over Miguel Cotto, please click HERE

To Hear about Bob Arum speaking on Mayweather vs. Pacquiao, click HERE

To Read about the atmosphere inside the MGM please click HERE