http://www.boxingscene.com/arum-gary-russe...re-berto--43470

I'm not advocating for young Gary Russell Jr. I think he has super fast hands, great boxing technique, and the ability to be a PROBLEM in the featherweight division. I do think an 8 round fight with an over matched opponent is a stretch. Bob Arum always has something negative to say about fighters that are not in his stable. If he thinks that HBO and Al Haymon are doing the fans some kind of injustice, then maybe he should do more than talk down. Maybe he should bring his fighters to the table and test these kids if they're 'protected' or 'overhyped' by Haymon and HBO. He's speaking of Andre Berto as if he's fought no one at all. Andre Berto has defeated more former world champions than Mike Jones has. When Andre Berto was defending his title, Mike Jones was fighting a guy with 19 losses. It's easy to find these things out. All you have to do is look the fighter up on BoxRec and cross-reference their dates, with the film. Anyway, if Bob Arum sees something flawed within the sport of boxing, maybe he should be more active in bringing the fans the fights he claims that Haymon and HBO are not bringing. Do we think that Al Haymon and HBO would turn down a fight with one of Bob Arum's fighters? No we do not. We think that Gary Russell and Andre Berto would jump at the opputunity to face one of Arum's top fighters. Uncle Bob, stop being a hater. Stop talking down on the fighters, their handlers, and the network they fight on. Stop giving the fans catchweight fights with in-house fighters. Lou DiBella and Richard Schaefer put on one of the most memorable fights in recent memory this past April. We know that Haymon's fighters will step up to the plate. We ALSO know that Bob Arum will NOT bring his fighters to the dance. He'll keep his fighters, fighting his fighters and talking about everyone else like they're the ones doing something wrong. Here's my perspective as a boxing fan. Yuriorkis Gamboa is one of the best featherweights in the world. Make the fight between he and Gary Russell Jr. Happen. Andre Berto has bounced back from the loss. Make the fight between he and Mike Jones happen. The old saying goes: 'If you're not a part of the solution, you're part of the problem'. Check yourself Uncle Bob because you're killing your own credibility.

he's basically right in this case though. I don't think Gary Russell is much to write home about. He's ok.

I'm saying though, everyone's entitled to their own opinion. Bob Arum can say what he wants to say. I don't have a problem with that. My thing is, he's in a position of power. In a position to make a difference but all he does is talk. He really has no room to talk when his fighters are protected form the best by being restricted to in-house fights. He can not throw stones when his house is made of glass. I think if he doesn't respect what Russell is doing, then put your fighters up to the task of exposing him. he has one of the fastest and best featherweights in the world. He pissed away the fight between Lopez and Gamboa by trying to let the fight stew. His promotional credibility is flawed, so he needs to tighten up his ship before he can divert the attention elsewhere. Gary Shaw and Lou DiBella have gone on record to say that Bob Arum is afraid to match his fighters against theirs. By the way Arum tried to say Martinez is not a PPV fighter is just a lame attempt to keep his fighter far from Martinez. Chavez Jr's fight against ZBik wasn't even on PPV, so what does that tell me? It's not about Gary Russell Jr. It's about Bob Arum running his mouth when he has no room to do so. Cotto-Margarito II is at a catchweight. How fucking lame is that? We'd rather see Cotto fight someone outside of the Top Rank stable. Bob had Cotto fight a Don King fighter in Mayorga, who paid for that PPV? How'd the numbers look on that PPV? Give me a break. if Cotto is too damaged to take on real dangerous fighters, then it may be time for him to hang up the gloves and promote. All I'm really trying to get at is, Bob Arum can do much more for the sport of boxing than try down on fighters. Berto's more of a warrior than Bob wants to give him credit for. We don't want to see Gamboa fight veteran (old) fighters like Danny Ponce De Leon. I can say that Gamboa is being protected in the same fashion that Russell and Berto are 'protected'. Gamboa can fight Chris John or Gary Russell. I'd like to see who wins the speed contest. Danny Ponce just lost to a young fighter. Why not fight the guy that beat Ponce?

why do i keep noticing Floyd Mayweather locution amongst boxing fans' speech patterns nowadays?

Bob is being Bob at this point, and sadly, there's not much anybody can do about it. Arum is taking over Showtime in the meantime, and his pattern of getting his guys a bit of exposure on Boxing After Dark, then moving them to Showtime is becoming more obvious. Bob makes a big fuss with other promoters about matching his fighters with them, and what does he do? He makes sure that nobody wants to ever do business with him, and moves his circus over to Showtime and collects as much money as he can. There are no big fish (promotional companies) on Showtime, so he has nothing to lose over there...unlike HBO, who has Golden Boy, DiBella, Gary Shaw Promotions (more frequently), Mayweather Promotions, Main Events, etc. So if Arum has to be the biggest scum of the Earth and keep people hoping that his "10-Count Memorial" will come sooner than later, just to keep most of the pot, then that's what he will do.

great post. totally agree.

Excellent post Haz. Al Haymon is the man. Doesn't he represent Floyd Mayweather?

Ummm...because he is the most influential fighter in the sport?

that's not the point. if he's a problem with Haymon and his fighters he needs to put his money where his mouth is and make the fights. just let Russel Jr go right to Gamboa and prove them wrong. sure, Russel and Haymon get the biggest check available in the division in the process but that's just what needs to happen.

Bob is the biggest bullshitter when it comes to talking anyway. In recent years, he almost NEVER lets one of his stablemates out of his promotional stable fight a rival promoter's fighter. Bob hates competition. As crocked as King is, at least he is/was willing to work with other promoters to make big fights happen. Bob will also protected his Mexican/Latin American fan base along with the WBC, who has become a breeding ground for favorable bias toward Mexican fighters, while avoiding the more lucrative matches that the public wants to see.

After Margarito tried to cheat in the Mosley fight, Arum and Jose Sulaiman acted like Margarito did nothing wrong, putting all blame on Margarito's trainer. Of course, Margarito's trainer deserved blame. But they gave Margarito a pass because, he's a strong Latino fighter with a huge fan base, Suliman is a Mexican President running a world boxing federation in Mexico. Their bias is just sickening. You could have a Hispanic/Latin-American fighter on trial for murder, and Arum and Sulaiman would be first on the defense team's witness lists, trying to pin the blame on someone other than the accused, even if the evidence is overwhelming in the prosecution's favor.

Think a murder hypothetical is too strong? How about Voluntary Manslaughter. That's what Margarito would have done to Mosley if Naz Richardson had not caught the plastered gloves. Bob and Jose's protect the Mexican fighters runs off the same drivel train. They don't want to see sanctioning fees and PPV dollar signs lost regardless of wrongdoing. Suliman and Arum both defended Margarito when no one else did. Can their be any other explanation?

Or just stealing Sergio Martinez's title from him by making him an Emeritus Champion, an artificial title, so that Julio's kid Chavez Jr. can get a title fight. Bob and Jose follow each other on their overt favorable biases of Mexican fighters. The more Arum keeps them in house, by fighting only boxers in his stable, the less likely they are to lose.

Jack

Promoters talking sh1t?

Wow.

Next thing you know we'll have corruption in rankings.

The horror!

Damn Jack, I saw all of these paragraphs and immediately thought I said something wrong, lol. Yeah Arum is a piece of work, and he is blatantly doing the boxing business with no vaseline. Those Margarito consequences were supposed to be more strict than that, but it got "worked out" very quickly and nearly on a private basis. He makes it his business to piss off other promoters, so he can keep his fighters away from their fighters, and most of all...keep all of the money. Cant blame him for wanting to keep as much money as possible, but damn there are viewers out here that have to watch these cluster-fuck of PPVs that he puts together (i.e. Pacquaio/Mosley). To be honest, Im fine with what Golden Boy is doing with boxing at the present time. Im through with Bob and his old-ass shot fighters that are either one punch or one drink away from a dirt nap.

no, because you're a buncha fuckin followers, that's why.

damn @ jack

No, because we're on his payroll lol. What he speaks, is what we speak. It's called plain english.

Arum is a piece of work. I've always been Luke warm on him. He currently just sprouts off at the mouth about this fighter, this promotion company, or the UFC. He's a media whore who constantly contradicts himself and tries to clean it up afterwards. He should put his fighters in the ring with outside comeptition but that seems to be his way of controlling things and having leverage over other fighter, promoters, etc. If he doesn't change his ways, he'll be in for a rude awakening.

well, like i said before, everyone is entitled to their own opinion.

more importantly, everyone has the right to be wrong.