Top Rank’s Arum turns 80, says he feels like 60
Bob Arum turns 80 today. But unlike many his age, the Las Vegas-based Hall of Fame boxing promoter has no intention of retiring.
“Why would I?” Arum said Wednesday. “I feel great, and as long as I have my health, knock on wood, there’s no reason for me to quit.”
Arum, whose company, Top Rank, has promoted fights for 45 years, is coming off a huge weekend that saw Miguel Cotto dominate Antonio Margarito in a sold-out Madison Square Garden to avenge his 2008 loss to Margarito.
Arum also promoted Manny Pacquiao’s two victories in 2011 — over Shane Mosley in May and Juan Manuel Marquez in November, the latter of which did 1.41 million pay-per-view buys.
He has nurtured the career of middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., and he has some bright young stars in Brandon Rios, Mike Alvarado and the Magdaleno brothers, Diego and Jesse.
“It’s been a tremendous year,” said Arum, Top Rank’s chairman and CEO. “But I think the true success to the year is not what people see but what they haven’t seen. We’ve got a tremendous group of young fighters whose best days are ahead of them. We’ve got a lot of interest from some big corporations that want to get involved with boxing, and we’re going to have some major announcements soon on that front.”
But the major announcement everyone is waiting for is that a deal has been reached for Pacquiao to face Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2012. Pacquiao wants Mayweather, Arum said.
“That’s the priority,” he said. “We’re working on trying to make that a reality. But you have to understand that this isn’t the kind of fight you make in 15 minutes. It doesn’t work that way. It takes time, and my obligation is to get Manny the best deal possible.
“If it’s with Mayweather, great. If it’s not Mayweather, there’s another fight with Marquez. Cotto would like a rematch with Manny. Tim Bradley would like to fight him. Maybe Brandon.”
Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer recently blasted Arum publicly, saying Arum has no desire to make a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight. Arum laughed at that notion.
“Why would I not want that fight to happen?” Arum said. “Manny wants it. Boxing fans want it. The media wants it.
“(Schaefer) is desperate because he has no stake whatsoever right now in a fight between Pacquiao and Mayweather. Now if Floyd wants Schaefer and Golden Boy involved, that’s up to Floyd. He’s his own man.”
Top Rank president Todd duBoef said of a possible Pacquiao-Mayweather fight in 2012: “Patience is the key. We’re not going to do anything to jeopardize that fight from happening.”
While Arum and duBoef work on trying to make the Pacquiao-Mayweather fight, Arum is also working on a fight for another Filipino star — Nonito Donaire. He hopes to have Donaire in the ring in early February, against Wilfredo Vasquez Jr. in a super bantamweight bout, probably in Texas, as part of a card that would likely have Chavez Jr. in the main event.
Arum will celebrate his 80th birthday with a party at Top Rank’s offices and a get-together with friends tonight at his home. But he said he doesn’t feel his age.
“Being born in the 1930s, you felt you’d be a real old man when you turned 80,” Arum said. “Even in the 1960s, you felt you were an old man at 80. Now, being 80 is like being 60.”
Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow him on Twitter: @stevecarprj.