Arum’s Plans Were on the Nose
By Ed de la Vega, DDS
PhilBoxing.com
Sun, 10 Jun 2007
When Bob Arum decided to offer Bobby Pacquiao a fight with Humberto Soto, it was easy to surmise that deep within his mind set, he was already planning a possible fight between Soto and Manny Pacquiao. The Pacman and Soto are both fighters in his stable so that would not be too difficult to arrange. But even with that, he must have a good plan to pull off the fight. And, what a plan he had!
With Soto decisively beating Bobby Pacquiao, Arum ‘s plans were on the nose!
As an old dog in the business so to speak, Arum knew all along that Bobby’s chances of winning against Soto are at best minimal. Thus, setting up the Soto-Bobby fight will play out well in making the Soto-Pacman tiff possible because there will be a reason to get it done. That reason is revenge!
Arum played the game without admitting publicly that all along he had in mind the Soto-Pacman fight. That’s the savvy promoter he is!
While admittedly, the above is pure speculation, there could be some truth in it.
How?
All the big money fighters are with Golden Boy. And, that is not to mention the intense rivalry between Top Rank and GBP. So a savage Soto victory over Bobby would make it easier to set up the Soto-Pacman fight. Judging from the facial reaction of the Pacman when Bobby was counted out in the 7th round, one can see that then and there, he wanted to avenge the defeat of his younger brother.
How could he not? Blood is thicker than water and it is only normal for Manny to feel that way for he felt for his brother. If nothing else, it will save the legacy of the family name. And, playing out the “revenge angle” will generate a lot of interest amongst the Mexican and Filipino fight fans. As we all know, in the fight business, fans’ interest almost always translates to money to be made.
Most importantly, Arum need not worry about dealing with the Golden Boy. He can now generate fans’ interest ( read: - lots of money to be made) by simply playing out the “revenge angle”. With, it would not be too difficult to sell the Pacman-Soto fight, be it in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Vancouver or anywhere else. What a genius!
On the other side of the coin, Bobby’s 7th round knock-out should not be something for him to be ashamed of. He gave a good performance and fought his heart out knowing that his chances were very slim. His performance truly showed the family genes that made him and his brother true warriors to the end. Mabuhay ka Bobby!
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ed de la Vega, DDS.
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