Manny Pacquiao following his unanimous decision victory over Tim Bradley this past Saturday night (Photo: Chris Farina – Top Rank)
By Chris Robinson
Top Rank CEO Bob Arum was in rare form this past week in Las Vegas.
Throughout the lead up to Manny Pacquiao’s unanimous decision victory over Tim Bradley on Saturday night, Arum could be found taking several shots at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino for, in his view, being out of line by promoting the May 3 Floyd Mayweather vs. Marcos Maidana event simultaneously along with the Pacquiao vs. Bradley II event inside of their venue.
Arum took particular offense because he simply views the pay per view showdown between Mayweather, the sport’s premier fighter, and the all-action Maidana as a huge mismatch in Floyd’s favor.
Arum had no problem criticizing Maidana despite his championship status as the WBA’s welterweight titlist, all but dismissing the tough Argentinean’s chances.
At the post-fight press conference following Pacquiao’s victory, Arum was asked if he considers Maidana to be a similar type of opponent as was Brandon Rios, who made his first pay per view showcase this past November in losing a lopsided points verdict to Pacquiao.
Rios and Maidana are stable mates who train of Robert Garcia’s gym in Oxnard, Calif. and both fighters have endeared themselves to fans due to their all-action style.
Still, Arum feels that it was more acceptable to see Pacquiao face off with someone like Rios as opposed to Mayweather facing Maidana simply because Manny was coming off of a devastating knockout loss to Juan Manuel Marquez in his previous contest.
“Manny Pacquiao, coming off a devastating knockout loss, fights Brandon Rios,” Arum explained. “He’s not the, in his words, the all-time greatest fighter that ever lived who’s never lost. Rios was a decent opponent and it was an opponent appropriate for Manny Pacquiao, who had just been knocked on his *ss and we thought that he had suffered a serious injury.”
Mayweather is coming off of a whitewashing of Canelo Alvarez in September and Arum feels that a jump to Maidana isn’t suitable.
“You have to be realistic about it,” said Arum. “If Floyd Mayweather had got knocked out by Canelo, which of course couldn’t happen, then I would say that he’s entitled to fight a Maidana.”
*** Want more from Camp Pacquiao? Please click the thumbnails below…
On Wednesday morning, Manny Pacquiao exuded a little bit of tranquility as he ran some laps with some members of his team at the UNLV track in Las Vegas, Nevada. Following his run, Pacquiao put in some strength and conditioning work and will be hosting the final press conference for his rematch with Tim Bradley later today at the MGM Grand.
Click on the thumbnail for a closer look..
“Photos from the Wild Card Boxing Club and other spots in Los Angeles as undefeated lightweight prospect Lydell Rhodes (19-0, 9 KO’s) enjoys his time as a chief sparring for eight-division world champion Manny Pacquiao.
Check out the thumbnail on the left for an all-access look at Rhodes in training, running Griffith Park, chilling with Miguel Cotto, and more.”
*** FOR A BONUS VISIT back in Pacquiao’s career in photos, check the thumbnails below…
Chris Robinson can be reached at Trimond@aol.com
