By Chris Williams: UFC president Dana White thinks that Top Rank promoter Bob Arum made a huge blunder by putting his #1 cash cow fighter Manny Pacquiao in with Juan Manuel Marquez for a fourth fight recently. White thinks that was a really bad, bad move by Arum because it was a risky fight.
White thinks the smart move should have been for Arum to put Pacquiao back in with Tim Bradley, so that Pacquiao could recapture his WBO welterweight title that he previously lost in a controversial decision last June.
Speaking with Fighthubtv.com White said “Bob Arum’s a moron. You don’t take that fight you idiot, that’s a money fight, that’s all about the money, that’s why. He should’ve fought Bradley. Bradley’s the fight they should’ve done, he would’ve knocked Bradley out, got his belt back, then he’s back in the position he should’ve been in. [Pacquiao] is one of the best fighters in the world, so he goes out and fights Marquez again? Bob Arum is the dumbest promoter in the history of the world.”
I agree that it was the wrong fight at the wrong time for Pacquiao. Marquez had already proven that he was the better fighter than Pacquiao in the three previous fights with him, so there was no reason why Arum should try and make that fight again. Their previous fight in November, 2011, showed that Marquez was getting better, and having an easier time against Pacquiao.
Arum should have realized from watching that fight that Marquez had improved, while fighter Pacquiao had clearly lost a step. As such, the logical fight for Arum to make would have been the rematch with Bradley. Arum wanted to put Pacquiao in a fight that made the most money, which is why he chose Marquez, but just because a fight makes more money doesn’t mean that it’s the best fight for you guy.
If Arum is thinking in terms of extending Pacquiao’s reign as a top pay per view star, then he should have kept him far away from Marquez because he’s the one guy that have proven that he could beat him over and over again.
Pacquiao-Marquez 4 might have made a lot more money than the Bradley-Pacquiao fight but look at the cost. Pacquiao got knocked cold by Marquez and now there are questions about whether Pacquiao will ever be the same fighter again after this loss.
Dana White is pretty clear on the direction he would have taken in matching Pacquiao, and I agree with him. The Bradley fight was the smart fight to make or the Miguel Cotto fight. Both of those were doable fights for Pacquiao. To get the Cotto fight, all Pacquiao would have had to do is agree to fight him at 154 and then he’d have an opponent that he could dominate again for big money.
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