By Jim Dower: Despite having no luck in trying to put together a mega fight between unbeaten Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao recently, Top Rank promoter Bob Arum remains optimistic about his chances of putting together a fight in the future in early 2011. Above all, Arum refuses to take it personal that Mayweather wasn’t interested in fighting Pacquiao at this time and is going to continue work on trying to set up the fight in early 2011 starting in May. In article at Sbsun.com, Arum says “Take a deep breath, we’ll fight somebody else and renew this thing next year without causing any bad feelings. That’s what adults do. That is what normal people do, not desperados who feel that they have to stand on their heads so that their boss is happy.”
Arum is showing good business sense by taking the high road, taking a mature outlook and not personalizing all of that controversy surrounding the failed fight with Mayweather. If the fight between Mayweather and Pacquiao is to be put together next year, Arum needs to stay focused on trying to negotiate it without getting caught up in all the turmoil surrounding this fight.
In the meantime, Arum will have Pacquiao staying busy fighting former two-time welterweight champion Antonio Margarito on November 13th for the vacant World Boxing Council junior middleweight title in either Las Vegas, Nevada or Monterrey, Mexico. As of now, Margarito doesn’t have a license to fight in the United States. However, that could change very soon. Behind the scenes, Arum is working on trying to get the license back through the Nevada Athletic Commission and if he can get them to meet with Margarito a second time, there’s a good chance that Margarito will have his license back in time for the November 13th fight.
The Nevada Athletic Commission recently rejected Margarito’s attempt to re re-licensed, rejecting him attempt by a 4-1 vote. They then advised him to go back to the California Athletic Commission to reapply there. It was the California Commission that revoked Margarito’s boxing license for one year after a plaster-like substance was found on Margarito’s hand wraps before his fight against Shane Mosley in January 2009. Margarito served his year suspension but still needs to reapply with the California Commission. The problem is that the California Commission’s next meeting is in September, and Margarito and Arum cannot afford to wait that long with a fight against Pacquiao taking place in November. They have to know where the venue will be for that fight long before that.
As for Mayweather, he’s not said who he plans on fighting next or if he plans on fighting again this year. Mayweather, however, could surprise a lot of people by snatching another big named opponent before the end of the year to try and take away some of the thunder from Pacquiao’s bout against Margarito.
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