Early this morning, Bob Arum's self-imposed "deadline" for Floyd Mayweather to accept terms to face Manny Pacquiao on November 13 came and went without any response. Perhaps we should start calling the Hall of Fame promoter LeBron Arum, as the pomp and circumstance of the conference call held at 3AM ET/Midnight PT was reminiscent of "The Decision," the hour-long ESPN live broadcast that featured LeBron James announcing his decision to sign with the Miami Heat. Essentially, the whole purpose of Friday's deadline and the early morning conference call was simply to let everyone know that Top Rank Promotions will no longer be exclusively negotiating with Floyd Mayweather for a potential November 13 showdown with Manny Pacquiao. After explaining details of the negotiation process, which somehow took place without either side having an actual conversation, Arum revealed that he had made a promise to HBO Sports president Ross Greenburg, who was allegedly acting as the mediator between the two camps, that Mayweather would have the right of first offer. In other words, Friday's deadline was less about Floyd's decision and more about Arum's promise to Greenburg that he would undergo exclusive good faith negotiations with Mayweather before beginning the negotiation process with other interested opponents.
"The deadline is the end of the exclusivity period, because we now have to go out and secure an opponenet for Manny Pacquiao, assuming that it won't be Floyd," Arum explained. Although he maintains that they are still interested in a Mayweather bout, it's unclear as to whether or not Arum will actively continue discussions with Ross Greenburg to find a middle ground regarding terms that were proposed by Team Pacquiao, terms that are believed to include a 50/50 purse split and a 14-day cutoff for random blood testing. Arum did, however, make it clear that he'll begin the negotiation process with the camps of both Antonio Margarito and Miguel Cotto, who are now also in the running for the November 13 clash with Pacquiao. "I told Ross that this Friday was the deadline of the end of the exclusivity period and I tell you that next week, I'll be talking to the Cotto and the Margarito camps regarding a fight with Manny Pacquiao," Arum confirmed.
When asked whether or not there was still an opportunity for Mayweather to accept the latest terms proposed by Team Pacquiao, Arum explained that, while the window of opportunity was small, there was still a slim chance. "Even though Mayweather hasn't resonded by the deadline, my answer's a simple one. It's dead when we conclude a deal with an opponent for Manny's fight in November," he stated, "then we're contractually bound to do that fight and we would look hopefully to do a fight with Floyd next year. But if, in the interim, while this was going on, Floyd suddenly emerged and said yes he wanted to do the fight, there would be nothing opposed to getting together and doing the fight."
Although Mayweather still remains a viable opponent for Pacquiao's November 13 bout, it doesn't appear as though Arum plans on negotiating the terms any further or even waiting around for a decision, as the Top Rank promoter believes the negotiation process with Margarito and Cotto, who both fight under the Top Rank banner, will move swiftly. "Whoever he [Manny Pacquiao] selects is who we'll go after to fight...It will be within the next 10 days," Arum remarked when asked how soon he anticipated solidifying an opponent. "I have never had difficulties with either camp in making a deal."
So for those that may be confused, here's a quick recap:
- Promoter Bob Arum promised HBO Sports president Ross Greenburg that, for a period of time, Top Rank would only negotiate with Floyd Mayweather for a November 13 fight with Manny Pacquiao.
- The Friday deadline was the end of the "exclusivity" promise and now, Top Rank is allowed to begin negotiations with other opponents.
- Bob Arum will gladly make the fight with Mayweather, provided he accepts the latest terms from Pacquiao, which are believed to include provisions for a 50/50 purse split and a 14-day cutoff for random blood testing.
- Bob Arum will begin negotiations as early as Monday with either Antonio Margarito or Miguel Cotto, depending on who Manny Pacquiao chooses.
- Due to the fact that Margarito and Cotto are both Top Rank fighters, Arum believes negotiations will go smoothly and will likely be wrapped up within 10 days.
Keep in mind that although Arum claims that he hasn't had any discussions with any other opponents, Pacquiao's adviser, Michael Koncz, actually has, having already met with Miguel Cotto and his manager to discuss the possibility of a rematch. Not to mention, Antonio Margarito's team disputed prior reports of a potential rematch between Pacquiao and Cotto, maintaining that Margarito is supposed to be next in line to face the Filipino superstar. Although it may not have been Bob Arum himself, it sure as heck sounds like there were some discussions going on behind closed doors between representatives of Pacquiao, Margarito and Cotto during this "exclusivity" period. Makes you kind of wonder if there's more to the story than the version that Bob "Yesterday I was lying, today I'm telling the truth" Arum is spoonfeeding the media.
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