It seems like everyone already knows that a mega-fight between Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto will happen on November 14th. Several internet sites, as well as ESPN, have already reported that the fight is nearly a done deal with the only thing left to be done is for both fighters to sign their name on the dotted line. It will be Manny's las fight of the year. Assuming Cotto's welterweight title is on the line, Pacquiao will be aiming for his 7th title in as many weight divisions.
The fight is a no-brainer considering that both fighters are with Top Rank. Promoter Bob Arum has been grinning ear to ear at the prospect of the bout since his company will get all the money and the control without the headache of dealing with another promotional company. In prior mega-events, Arum had to share the spotlight and the proceeds with Golden Boy Promotions, but not this time.
From the time the two promotional companies got together in 2007, their partnership has put on several big events that have translated into multi-million dollar profits. Pacquiao-Barrera II, Cotto-Mosley, Pacquiao-Marquez II, Pacquiao-De La Hoya, Mosley-Margarito, Pacquiao-HattonÂ…all big fights that generated a great deal of revenue. The only drawbackÂ…after each event, they had to split the profits between their companies.
This time, however, Arum is planning on going solo, pitting his own fighters against each other and ultimately keeping all the profits in-house. While it's not uncommon for a promoter to do that, it's very rare that a promoter has an opportunity to put together a mega-fight without having to split the revenue with another promoter. While it's commendable that Shane Mosley wants to fight Pacquiao and De La Hoya is trying to help him get the fight, Arum simply prefers to put together a fight where he's the lone promoter because, quite frankly, who needs a Mosley or Mayweather when you already have the Money Train Manny Pacquiao? Much to the dismay of De La Hoya, Arum is going this one alone.
So what can Oscar and the rest of his partners do now? Well, they too must look to pit their own fighters against each other. Obvioiusly this is something they've done in the past, but never have they had the opportunity to put together an event as big as Pacquiao-Cotto will be. They obviously already missed out on an opportunity to make a mega-fight between Shane Mosley and Ricky HattonÂ…a bout that probably could have been made before Pacquiao sent Hatton into oblivion. They're also going to miss out what was supposed to be a mega-fight in the heavyweight division this weekend as David Haye was forced to pull out of his fight Wladimir Klitschko. Although they wouldn't have been the lone promoter, it's certainly an event that was going to earn them a lot of revenue. Now there's the latest news that Mayweather was forced to postpone his bout with Marquez due to a rib injury. Golden Boy Promotions should act now before it's too late if they hope to maximize their profits while still bringing excitement to the fans.
A Mosley-Marquez showdown might be the most logical thing for them to do now. After all, Marquez was already willing to fight a welterweight and Mosley was already willing to fight at a catchweight. The winner could possibly face the winner of Pacquiao-Cotto, giving Golden Boy Promotions an opportunity to put on another mega-fight with Top Rank in hopes of sharing in the profits. While it might sound like a mismatch, it certainly wouldn't be as boring as watching to counterpunchers since they both bring contrasting styles to the ring. Instead of waiting around for Mayweather, Oscar and his promotional company should make another big fight now before they're left out in the cold, chasing after Top Rank in hopes of riding their coat tails to make big money. It may sound crazy, but they should take the riskÂ…after all, some risks are worth taking. Golden Boy should learn from Top RankÂ…worry about your own fighters instead of chasing after Money Mayweather.