GOLDEN BOY WON’T NEGOTIATE WITH ARUM
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 30 Dec 2006
The CEO of Golden Boy Promotions, Richard Schaefer says they “do not intend to negotiate” with Top Rank promoter Bob Arum and emphasized that it was not up to Arum to respond to their offer of a 50-50 deal for a rematch between WBC super featherweight champion Marco Antonio Barrera and Filipino ring idol Manny Pacquiao.
After Arum floated an offer of a co-promotion in which he offered Barrera $2.5 million plus a percentage of the pay-per-view revenues beyond a certain point and Golden Boy responded almost immediately with their 50-50 deal which Arum interpreted as a possible starting point for negotiations on making the Pacquiao-Barrera fight happen in April in Las Vegas.
Arum, prior to his departure for the US last night told Viva Sports/Manila Standard Today that Golden Boy by responding to his initial offer to Barrera “expressed the willingness to start negotiating and I think that’s good for everybody. This is a good, favorable sign.”
Schaefer informed us at 1:25 a.m. Saturday that while Golden Boy does not want to stand in the fighters way to make this fight nor do they want to deprive the public from seeing this epic battle, he emphasized that their offer “was not intended as a negotiation but represents a fair and lucrative offer to make this fight a reality.”
Schaefer revealed that Barrera has many different options as it relates to his next opponent but they were prepared to honor the deal as outlined yesterday through Viva Sports/Manila Standard as well as Philboxing.com which drew the positive reaction from Arum. Schaefer said Barrera is the champion and his “willingness to agree to a 50-50 deal only if the fight does not go to a purse bid is certainly a generous offer to Manny.” Under the standards of a WBC purse bid the champion is entitled to 75 percent and the challenger 25 which would be unfair to Pacquiao who beat Barrera the first time and is today considered the most exciting fighter in the world and regarded by many as the No.1 pound-for-pound.
In pushing for an almost immediate response from the Pacquiao camp, the Golden Boy CEO stressed that Barrera and Golden Boy are “not willing to sit around and wait” and indicated that pay-per-view deadlines forced them to impose a deadline of Monday, January 1 for Team Pacquiao “to either accept or decline our offer.” Schaefer charged it was “very unfortunate that Bob Arum through his torturous interference has clouded Manny Pacquiao’s mind. Because of Bob’s actions with the help and assistance of certain members of Team Pacquiao, in particular Michael Koncz, this long-awaited fight might not happen and cost the fighters as well as Golden Boy substantial loss of money and opportunity.”
In a direct message to Pacquiao “on a more personal note” Schaefer said “Manny, this is your chance to stand up, take control and accept the fight you claim you want most. If Bob Arum truly wants what is best for you he will not stand in your way to make this career defining fight. Since we agreed to hold the promotional profits attributed to your side in an escrow account Arum has nothing to lose. If he should win the case he gets the money and if he does not ,then he does not deserve it. You however, deserve the opportunity to fight the best Mexican fighter of our generation, the legendary Marco Antonio Barrera. If you want to be the Boss and the people around you tell you that you are the Boss then take charge and accept the fight.”
Arum was still in transit when we tried to reach him but we will seek him out and get his reaction to the latest developments the moment we can.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
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