By T.K. Stewart - Tex Rickard was a visionary. He was most probably the best promoter in boxing’s storied history and he lived by a lone philosophy, “Give the people what they want, the way they want it, and not the way you think best.”
If Bob Arum would have had his way, boxing fans would have been treated to a Manny Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather, Jr. mega-fight at Jerry Jones’ Cowboys Stadium on March 13.
Bob Arum, you see, has vision.
But Arum, and the sport in which he operates, is now an every man for himself environment. As 2010 dawns, boxing has a myriad of competing self interests which means putting together a big fight also means appeasing every single group. Every whim, every desire, every nagging line of every contract has to be agreed to by every party - or there is no fight.
Boxing had a magnificent opportunity to eclipse the sporting world and to put itself on the front pages of newspapers and be the headline of sportscasts round the globe with a 2010 Pacquiao - Mayweather bout. But negotiations imploded because of unreasonable contractual demands by the fighters and those that call the shots for them.
Because of single-minded wants - the entire sport suffers.
There is plenty of blame and finger-pointing to go around in what has become the latest fiasco in the sport. What was going to be the most lucrative fight in boxing history looks now as though it may never happen. Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions, who attempted to negotiate the Pacquiao fight on behalf of Mayweather, is pointing the finger of blame at Arum - and Arum is pointing his finger right back at Schaefer and Mayweather’s quasi-manager, the elusive Al Haymon. [Click Here To Read More]
If Bob Arum would have had his way, boxing fans would have been treated to a Manny Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather, Jr. mega-fight at Jerry Jones’ Cowboys Stadium on March 13.
Bob Arum, you see, has vision.
But Arum, and the sport in which he operates, is now an every man for himself environment. As 2010 dawns, boxing has a myriad of competing self interests which means putting together a big fight also means appeasing every single group. Every whim, every desire, every nagging line of every contract has to be agreed to by every party - or there is no fight.
Boxing had a magnificent opportunity to eclipse the sporting world and to put itself on the front pages of newspapers and be the headline of sportscasts round the globe with a 2010 Pacquiao - Mayweather bout. But negotiations imploded because of unreasonable contractual demands by the fighters and those that call the shots for them.
Because of single-minded wants - the entire sport suffers.
There is plenty of blame and finger-pointing to go around in what has become the latest fiasco in the sport. What was going to be the most lucrative fight in boxing history looks now as though it may never happen. Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions, who attempted to negotiate the Pacquiao fight on behalf of Mayweather, is pointing the finger of blame at Arum - and Arum is pointing his finger right back at Schaefer and Mayweather’s quasi-manager, the elusive Al Haymon. [Click Here To Read More]
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