Arum: The plastic surgeon says Pacquiao can’t spar until April 1; he can’t fight Mayweather on May 5th

By Chris Williams: Bob Arum is now saying that Las Vegas plastic surgeon Jeffrey Roth said that Manny Pacquiao can’t begin sparring until April 1st because of the cut that Roth personally stitched up on November 12th, according to Yahoo Sports.

Arum says that this makes it all but impossible for Pacquiao to be ready in time to fight Floyd Mayweather Jr. on May 5th. Pacquiao said earlier on Monday that he wants to fight Mayweather next, and Arum responded to this news by saying he’d add Mayweather’s name to the four-fighter list that Arum has already assembled himself.

Arum said this to Yahoo Sports: “Jeffrey Roth is saying he [Pacquiao] should be good to go on April 1. If he’s fighting on May 5, that’s a problem, because he wouldn’t have time to spar.”

It’s interesting to note that Arum didn’t automatically say he will make the Mayweather-Pacquiao even after Pacquiao that’s the fight he wants. Instead Arum is saying he’ll certainly add Mayweather’s name to the list as if it’s something that he’ll be going over with Pacquiao.

It makes you wonder who’s in charge here. There shouldn’t be any discussion once a powerful fighter like Pacquiao says he wants something, but it looks like Arum is still resistant to the idea of matching Pacquiao up with Mayweather because he’s still talking about the four fighter list and now he’s got a plastic surgeon telling him that Pacquiao can’t even begin to start sparring until April 1st.

Whatever happened to getting a second opinion? According to Yahoo, the plastic surgeon is dating Arum’s stepdaughter. Shouldn’t Pacquiao be seeing a different doctor that’s not wrapped up in some way with his promoter’s family for this kind of thing? If I’m Michael Koncz, Pacquiao’s advisor, that’s what I would be doing right about now unless Pacquiao is okay with just sitting around until June to fight one of the gang of four that Arum picked out for him. Even if I didn’t get the fight with Mayweather, I’d tell Arum want nothing to do with any of those four fighters he picked out. I’d pick out my own guys and work from there.