By Robert “Big Moe” Elmore: In the latest news out of Top Rank when talking about making Floyd Mayweather Jr and Manny Pacquiao mega fight, Pacquiao’s promoter Bob Arum claims that Floyd is poaching Cinco De Mayo, where Floyd has fought for the last four years. Arum also claims it’s disrespectful to Mexicans for non Mexicans to be fighting on that date. Now I will say this.
The mega fight would sell no matter what date they fight on. I totally agree. How convenient for Arum to bring that up at this juncture and journey with me if you will with this questionnaire. Manny Pacquiao fought Ricky Hatton on what Mexican holiday; was A) May 2nd 2009 Cinco De Mayo, B) Cinco De Mayo May 2nd 2009 C) A Mexican holiday or D) All of the above.
Pacquiao fought Shane Mosley on; A) a Mexican holiday in 2011; B) Cinco De Mayo May 7th 2011; C) both A and B D) All of the above. If you answered A, B, C, or D then you’ve guessed right. Is Pacquiao Mexican? How about Hatton? Last time I checked Hatton was born in England. What about Mosley? Isn’t he black and was born in Lynwood California? I’m just trying to really understand Arum’s point of poaching. It wasn’t poaching when he staged fights on those dates, but when Floyd, or Miguel Cotto for that matter (who is considering fighting Saul Alvarez on Cinco De Mayo) fights on that date its poaching?
My, my, my, and what is really baffling is that no journalist in the boxing industry has asked Arum about him staging two fights on those dates. I could see If Arum never put Pacquiao on those dates then he would have an argument. But he has. Twice. If Arum doesn’t want to fight on those dates, then that’s fine. But don’t use “poaching Mexican dates” when’s he’s done it. Now some fans, with Top Rank being the B-side, won’t see this as Arum trying to avoid the mega fight. Rather they will spin it and say Floyd is trying use this as a way not to make the fight. Like I stated above, I could hear that “Floyd is using May 2nd as a way for the fight not happen” if Floyd all a sudden picked that date. But he’s been fighting on those dates for the last four years. So Arum’s argument is no good.
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