By Chris Williams: Juan Manuel Marquez has reportedly flattened one of his sparring partners Rocky Santillo in showing off his new power in getting ready for his December 8th fight against Manny Pacquiao in Las Vegas, Nevada. According to Philboxing.com, Marquez countered Santillo with a scorching right hand that caught him as he was attempting to fight in Pacquiao-esque imitation.
Bob Arum
De La Hoya: Mayweather won’t fight Pacquiao with Arum involved
By Chris Williams: Oscar De La Hoya of Golden Boy Promotions says that Floyd Mayweather Jr. will not fight Manny Pacquiao if Bob Arum of Top Rank has any involvement with the fight. It’s not coming from De La Hoya, but rather from what what told to him by Mayweather.
Speaking with esnewsreport.com, De La Hoya said “This is coming from Mayweather. If Bob Arum is involved with Manny Pacquiao, then Mayweather doesn’t want to fight him. That’s the bottom line.”
Well that explains the reason failed negotiations earlier this year, if you want to call them negotiations.
Arum says Pacquiao looks rusty in sparring
By Chris Williams: Top Rank promoter Bob Arum took the time to drop by and observe his fighter Manny Pacquiao sparring at the Wildcard Gym in Los Angeles, California and for one of the few times that Arum has seen his fighter he wasn’t entire impressed with what he saw of him. Arum told write Chris Robinson of Examiner.com, Pacquiao “His conditioning is good, but he showed a great deal of rust in his first sparring session. Not slow, just rusty.”
That’s not good because Pacquiao usually looks good when beating on over-matched sparring partners and if Arum is saying Pacquiao isn’t looking good then it’s definitely a cause for concern. We’ve seen Pacquiao slow down dramatically in his last few fights and he’s coming off of a rare loss in his last fight.
Donaire vs. Arce done for December 15th, says Arum
By Chris Williams: Top Rank promoter Bob Arum is saying that the December 15th fight between WBO super bantamweight champion Nonito Donaire (30-1, 19 KO’s) and 33-year-old former three division world champion Jorge Arce (61-6-2, 46 KO’s) is done for December 15th. The venue for the fight is still unknown but the fight itself is now done. The fight itself is a mismatch. Arce is well past his prime and should be fighting at flyweight, not super bantamweight. Donaire will knock him out in two or three rounds depending on if Arce comes to just survive or not. Hopefully, Arum will start matching Donaire up against quality fighters after Donaire destroys Arce because this isn’t interesting see Donaire fight old guys over and over again. His last opponent was 36-year-old Toshiaki Nishioki, who Donaire claimed was the best fighter at super bantamweight.
Arum said to the Manila Standard at manilastandardtoday.com/ “It’s a done deal.”
Arum interested in Mares vs. Donaire in 2013
By Chris Williams: Top Rank promoter Bob Arum is interested in putting a unification fight together between WBC super bantamweight champion Abner Mares (24-0-1, 13 KO’s) and his own fighter WBO super bantamweight champion Nonito Donaire (30-1, 19 KO’s) in 2013, but Mares might not get the fight if he’s still with Golden Boy Promotions. Arum seems to be interested in making the fight but it appears that there might be a catch involved with Mares needing to be free of Golden Boy.
Arum told examiner.com writer Chris Robinson “Well, if Mares wins the fight [against Anselmo Moreno], his contract is expiring with Golden Boy and so he can do that fight.”
Arum: Pacquiao says there was no way he was going to leave me until his career was over
By Chris Williams: If you were wondering if Manny Pacquiao would ever leave Bob Arum and Top Rank to go out on his own to promote his own fights or working with another promotional company like Golden Boy, you can pretty much forget about that after hearing the news that Pacquiao had extended his contract with Arum until December 31st of 2014. Pacquiao’s contract was supposed to be ending at the end of 2013 on December 13th, but Pacquiao, for some reason, decided to extend it for another year.
With the extension Pacquiao got a bonus of $1 million plus a possibility of getting another $1 million bonus if Pacquiao fights twice in 2014, according to Dan Rafael of ESPN. That may sound like Pacquiao’s getting a great deal having that kind of money given to him, but when you factor in the huge amounts of cash that he’s bringing just by fighting for Top Rank, him getting a million is like next to nothing because the money will come from all the cash that he brings in with his fights.
Arum wants Donaire vs. Arce at the end of the year in Mexico
By Chris Williams: Instead of looking to put his fighter IBF/WBO super bantamweight champion Nonito Donaire (30-1, 19 KO’s) in with WBC 122 lb champion Abner Mares of WBA champion Guillermo Rigondeaux, Top Rank promoter Bob Arum instead wants to put Donaire in with another aging fighter in Jorge Arce (61-6-2, 46 KO’s) and Arum wants to make this fight in December if Donaire’s injured left hand is okay by then. Donaire fought 36-year-old Toshiaki Nishioka last night in a painful to watch fight because of how boring it was.
Arum said to Dan Rafael of ESPN “If the hand is OK, I will try to have him fight before the end of the year in Mexico City at the new arena against Arce.”
Are Pacquiao and Arum on the same page?
By John F. McKenna (McJack): It had been expected that eight division champion Manny Pacquiao (54-4-2, 38 KO’s) was going to return to the United States on Sunday to begin training at Freddie Roach’s Wild Card Gym in Hollywood. But for whatever reason Pacquiao delayed his return until October 27. Not to worry though say those around Manny, because he will train in the Philippines during the delay.
One of the cover stories given in the attempt to explain away Pacquiao’s delay in departure back to the states is that as a congressman he has political responsibilities. Those responsibilities, the story goes, cannot be put off until after his 4th fight with WBO lightweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez (54-6-1, 39 KO’s).
Marquez in position as spoiler to ruin Arum’s plans for Pacquiao
By Chris Williams: If Top Rank promoter Bob Arum is really interested in putting his fighter Manny Pacquiao (54-4-2, 38 KO’s) in with the winner of Saturday’s light welterweight clash between Brandon Rios and Mike Alvarado, Arum might have to do it with Pacquiao in an especially weakened position coming off of another loss.
Arum recently said that he wants to put Pacquiao in with the Rios vs. Alvarado winner, and he sees it being a huge fight that could take place in April of next year. However, there’s just one problem with that. Pacquiao has to first defeat Juan Manuel Marquez (54-6-1, 39 KO’s) and he can’t do it by controversy like in the last two times he fought Marquez and beat him.
Cotto: Arum only offered $6.5 million to fight Pacquiao, not $13 million
By Chris Williams: Miguel Cotto says he was offered only $6.5 million to fight Manny Pacquiao in a rematch plus a share of the pay per view revenue, not the $13 million that Pacquiao’s promoter Bob Arum has been talking about offering Cotto. Additionally, Cotto said that he would have had to fight Pacquiao at a catchweight handicap of 150 lbs because Pacquiao didn’t want to fight at 154, which is where Cotto is fighting now.
Cotto told Dan Rafael of ESPN “The only offer Top Rank ever made us was the same money in 2009…We found it kind of funny. That was the reason we decided not to face Pacquiao. That, and they also wanted me to go down to 150 lbs and give him [Pacquiao] the same advantage that they gave Pacquiao in 2009, a catchweight.”