Top Rank-Golden Boy feud flares again
by Dan Rafael
Sep 23, 2011
by Dan Rafael
Sep 23, 2011
This week, Showtime scheduled the Golden Boy-promoted bantamweight title doubleheader -- the rematch between titlist Abner Mares and former titleholder Joseph Agbeko, along with titleholder Anselmo Moreno against Vic Darchinyan -- to go up against Arum's pay-per-view show. Even though Cotto-Margarito dwarfs the Golden Boy/Showtime card in terms of significance, Arum was riled about the idea that it might take away some viewers and publicity.
He said he found out about the scheduling conflict by reading my ESPN.com story, which broke the news Wednesday night.
He was livid and vowed revenge.
"I would not have allowed that to happen," Arum said. "If a network told me to go against somebody else's pay-per-view, I would have told them to go [screw] themselves. We will retaliate, and when we retaliate it will be tenfold. There will be major retaliation."
Arum said he felt betrayed because, when he was going to have Kelly Pavlik fight Lucian Bute on Showtime on Nov. 5 (before Pavlik pulled out) and HBO had given him the same date for a Donaire fight, he went to HBO and asked to move Donaire to Oct. 22 to avoid a conflict with Showtime. Now, Showtime and Golden Boy have counter-programmed him, and that doesn't sit well with him.
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Arum said he thought Showtime's scheduling move was deliberate because it is upset over him taking Pacquiao away from the network. Arum had left HBO and brought Showtime Pacquiao's May 7 pay-per-view fight against Shane Mosley. Recently, he brought Pacquiao back to HBO for his third fight with Juan Manuel Marquez, which is scheduled for Nov. 12 on HBO PPV.
"It's because they are pissed at us because they didn't get the Pacquiao fight or the Cotto fight," Arum said. "That's how small-minded they are. But revenge will be sweet. It will be on both of them, Golden Boy and Showtime. All I'm saying is there will be retaliation."
Schaefer was surprised to hear how upset Arum was and said he would have preferred not go against Arum's pay-per-view. Further, he said he didn't want another fight with Top Rank.
He said he found out about the scheduling conflict by reading my ESPN.com story, which broke the news Wednesday night.
He was livid and vowed revenge.
"I would not have allowed that to happen," Arum said. "If a network told me to go against somebody else's pay-per-view, I would have told them to go [screw] themselves. We will retaliate, and when we retaliate it will be tenfold. There will be major retaliation."
Arum said he felt betrayed because, when he was going to have Kelly Pavlik fight Lucian Bute on Showtime on Nov. 5 (before Pavlik pulled out) and HBO had given him the same date for a Donaire fight, he went to HBO and asked to move Donaire to Oct. 22 to avoid a conflict with Showtime. Now, Showtime and Golden Boy have counter-programmed him, and that doesn't sit well with him.
...
Arum said he thought Showtime's scheduling move was deliberate because it is upset over him taking Pacquiao away from the network. Arum had left HBO and brought Showtime Pacquiao's May 7 pay-per-view fight against Shane Mosley. Recently, he brought Pacquiao back to HBO for his third fight with Juan Manuel Marquez, which is scheduled for Nov. 12 on HBO PPV.
"It's because they are pissed at us because they didn't get the Pacquiao fight or the Cotto fight," Arum said. "That's how small-minded they are. But revenge will be sweet. It will be on both of them, Golden Boy and Showtime. All I'm saying is there will be retaliation."
Schaefer was surprised to hear how upset Arum was and said he would have preferred not go against Arum's pay-per-view. Further, he said he didn't want another fight with Top Rank.
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