It's no coincidence that through 43 years, Bob Arum has stood on the top of the boxing promotional totem pole, much of that with his archrival Don King being the other grand poobah.
Let's face it, Arum is a greater contortionist than the Indian Rubber Man and Mary Lou Retton combined.
The 79 year old may not practice “trickeration” like DK has but Arum put the “v” in versatile and the “f” in flexibility.
Flash back to the day after Sugar Shane Mosley struggled to eke out a draw against Sergio Mora.
Here's what Arum told me on Sept. 19:
“What I've read is not very supportive to make any Mosley-Pacquiao bout. Look, he’s going to be 40 and he’s in the lighter weights where speed is so important. He’s on a show with guys (example, 20-year-old Saul Canelo Alvarez) old enough to be his son.
“I read them saying Mosley was huffing and puffing for air in the fourth or fifth round,” stated Arum. “To me, that is the real tipoff for an aging fighter. Even Big George Foreman did that in his 40s but he always had that big, big punch like in the (Michael) Moorer fight.”
“It’s like Hopkins, he still knows how to fight but who wants to pay to see him now? His fights are not very scintillating. What you see with Hopkins we’re beginning to see with Mosley.”
Anyone reading these Arum comments would not have bet on Mosley turning up as Manny Pacquiao's first opponent of 2011.
Anyone, that is, except those who know how Discount Bob operates and how he loves to get a big name opponent, and certainly Mosley remains that, for a wholsesale rather than a retail price.
In rapping Mosley, he was just kicking the tires like a prospective automobile buyer does.
Besides, it was generally thought that Mosley wore Golden (Boy) handcuffs.
But then Mosley did some gymnastics, extricating himself from Golden Boy, and the spry and nimble Arum began doing cartwheels of joy.
Arum's timing of the less than formal announcement, which was only a surprise to some cavemen in Lower Slobbovia, that Pacquiao will fight faded glory Mosley May 7 was exquisitely timed for the Christmas break when the Top Rank honcho knew most concerned citizens would not be paying attention.
Arum confirmed the done deal to the Associated Press on Dec. 21, a day on which the janitor at the wire service office probably answered the phone.
It was a variation on the old, tried and true, public relations scheme used by politicians, priests, potentates and other poobahs forever.
When you've got bad news, negative news, let it seep out on a Friday afternoon, preferably the start of a three day weekend so that the nasty reaction will be muted and, most likely, over and done with come the start of the next business day.
Now, with Pacman-Mosley a done deal, some scribes are still hot and bothered and/or surprised how “official quotes” from the lips of Manny and the clarion call of trainer Freddie Roach have become all about what a dangerous foe the doddering Mosley is.
Conditioning guru Alex Ariza, who verbally panned Mosley as unqualified, suddenly got lockjaw.
Knowing that his Golden Boy pals rarely have a civil word about Arum and vice-versa, Mosley and new adviser James Prince jumped the Golden fence quick, fast and in a hurry. Why the Goldens held no paper, no contract, on their vice president from Pomona has never been explained.
Prince must have explained to Mosley that the terms “free” and “agent” combined amounted to a high occupancy vehicle lane pass for Shane to drive himself into Arum's waiting arms.
My advice to the critics, and I feel your pugilistic pain, is to lay back and enjoy it.
Let's keep this in perspective as it is business as usual in the Toy Department, of which boxing is a savage subset.
It's not like a church being blown up by faceless cowards in Egypt or street children in Rio de Janeiro, Angeles City or parts of the United States who go to bed hungry every night.
This is a venture, this fight, designed for your amusement and for the promoter's profit.
Consider it a Pacman triple play, instead of Tinkers to Evers to Chance, we've got runaway bride Clottey, the diminished and rusty as an old gate Margaito and, in the merry month of May, Mosley in a likely swan song.
Swans don't bite, do they? Neither did Joshing Joshua or Tone Loc.
The more kicks Arum gets now, the more he will enjoy playing the Savior of Boxing role when Floyd Mayweather-Pacquiao is put together, at long last, for November.
If, as is expected, Mayweather ducks a jail stint, he will sign up for Pacman in the fall.
And then, some of those kicking Uncle Roberto's backside, will be looking to kiss it in Macy's window.
As for the Goldens, their new mission is to sprinkle fairy dust around about what a scintillating matchup Juan Manuel Marquez and another faded glory named Erik Morales.
There's been a huge public demand for that stirring matchup, at least in the Erik Morales household.
And the merry go round just keeps on spinning.
Or, to use an aquatic metaphor, what is that Arum is doing in the paranha tank?
Looks like the backstroke to me, sir.
Either that or the Mosley crawl.
-examiner.com
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