By Matt Lieberman: Bob Arum still hasn’t given up on the idea of putting a fight together between Terence Crawford vs. Manny Pacquiao despite the growing unlikelihood of that match taking place.
The Top Rank promoter Arum says if he can’t get the Crawford-Pacquiao fight match, he’ll turn his attention to Shawn Porter to match him with Terence. That’s the match-up that has a more practical chance of happening, though.
Arum said Pacquiao’s management team is working with people in the Middle East on a fight against WBO welterweight champion Crawford (37-0, 28 KOs), and they’re hoping they’ll finance the fight.
It’s unknown how long Team Pacquiao has been working with the Middle Eastern group because Arum has talked about this for months now. For the negotiations to be dragging on this long for the Pacquiao vs. Crawford clash isn’t a good sign.
Mikey Garcia has already informed the media that he’s in talks with Pacquiao, and they’re close to having the Pacquiao-Garcia fight “finalized.
Porter still backup plan for Crawford
“The Pacquiao group is working with people in the Middle East, who are real people and that are going to finance this,” said Bob Arum to Boxing Social on the Pacquiao vs. Crawford fight.
“If they come up with the money and finance this fight, then we’ll do the fight in this country in the Middle East.
“Top Rank would be used by the country to work all the details of the promotion and all that type of thing, but the people in the country would be the actual promoters of the fight, and it would be a big opportunity for Terence Crawford to fight Manny Pacquiao.
If that doesn’t come to fruition, then I will continue my talks with Shawn Porter and hope to do Terence against Shawn Porter.
“Either of them in my opinion is interesting fights. But obviously, Pacquiao is Pacquiao, and if Pacquiao can get into the ring with Crawford. Obviously, that’s the way Terence would want to go,” said Arum.
Porter (31-3-1, 17 KOs) is the harder fight for Crawford, and it’s not surprising that Arum isn’t champing at the bit to make that match-up.
With Porter having been beaten by Errol Spence Jr in 2019, there’s not much for Crawford to gain from fighting him.
It would still be a huge step up for the 33-year-old Crawford from the opposition he’s been fighting for 13 years. The risk is just so high for Crawford; it might be better for him to go in a different direction.
Haney vs. Lomachenko possible for July or August
“Absolutely, there’s no question about it,” said Arum when asked if he’d be interested in matching Vasily Lomachenko against Devin Haney.
“That would be a really good fight and a good test for both guys. I think it would be very, very popular, and we would do it depending on the rest of the schedule in either July or the beginning of August.,” said Arum about the Lomachenko vs. Haney fight.
WBC lightweight champion Haney’s promoter Eddie Hearn said on Friday that he’d like to do the fight with Lomachenko but that he doesn’t see it as likely because Arum wants Devin’s contract with Matchroom to be made.
If Arum insists on Haney being a free agent before he’ll agree to put together a fight with Lomachenko, we won’t see the two fight.