GBP has 3 days to match Arum’s offer

source: Nick Giongco | mb.com.ph

LOS ANGELES — Even after 45 years of promoting the biggest names in boxing, Bob Arum admits to being excited like a fan whenever a mouth-watering match-up looms on the horizon.

Arum is getting that feeling again as Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez appear headed to a Nov. 12 showdown.

The 79-year-old Top Rank chief told the Bulletin on Thursday from his Beverly Hills residence that Golden Boy Promotions (GBP) has until 3 p.m. of Monday (US West Coast time) to match Arum’s offer.

Marquez was at ringside when Pacquiao beat Shane Mosley at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas over the weekend and had even met with Arum in the morning of the fight to discuss the proposed 12-round welterweight title encounter.

“One week is enough (for GBP to match our offer),” said Arum, stressing that as soon as Marquez accepted the revised Top Rank offer last Monday, the fighter’s lawyer immediately furnished GBP a copy for its perusal.

The offer guarantees Marquez a $5-million payday and a share in the pay-per-view and a whopping $10 million in a fourth fight in case Marquez wins this November.

Arum is so pumped up with the prospects of seeing and promoting Pacquiao and Marquez get it on for the third time that he has already figured out when is the right time to kick off the multi-city promotional tour.

“Maybe at the end of July,” said Arum, mentioning Las Vegas, Los Angeles and New York as the usual stops of the press tour, “and, of course, Mexico City.”

Marquez, who will turn 38 in August, hails from Mexico City.

Arum said Top Rank is going to come out with an announcement next week regarding Pacquiao’s future but is keeping his fingers crossed that the pound-for-pound king’s next ring appearance would be against the counter-punching Marquez.

Marquez is best remembered by aficionados of the fight game as the master technician who gave Pacquiao a taste of hell in their two fights.

A professional the last 18 years, Marquez has a 52-5-1 record with 38 knockouts.

If ever they fight for the third time, the catchweight will be 144 lbs with Pacquiao’s World Boxing Organization welter crown at stake.


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tags: Manny Pacquiao, bob Arum, Oscar Dela Hoya, Manny Pacquiao, bob Arum, Oscar Dela Hoyah offer