FightHype's explosive interview with Alex Ariza sparked a ton of reaction from fans and media alike regarding his comments about Bob Arum. The emails have not stopped pouring in as fans voice their opinion on whether or not Arum is standing in the way of a potential mega-fight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather. Although I don't have all the answers, I do have an opinion, so check out what I had to say to inquiring minds who are buzzing about the topic.
All I can say is Gotttttt Damnnnnn!! - Mike
BT: That was pretty much my reaction when the interview was over, although Alex didn't really say anything that I didn't already know. In fact, a lot of what he was saying has already been said time and time again by Floyd Mayweather and Leonard Ellerbe. The only difference now is that it came from someone inside Pacquiao's camp, and I think that's what made it so eye-opening when people read it.
Hey Ben, Eddie (boxingstill#1) here. FANTASTIC interview with Alex! I love the fact that slowly, but most certainly surely awareness is being brought to the world the real reason (person) why the mega fight between Floyd and Pac hasn't happened. You are doing killer job in giving us an inside look on it. I can't understand why ONE man thinks he can ignore, and control the whole boxing world by not making this fight happen. Alex may have just blacklisted himself in a sense just because Bob is in so many pockets... but at this point who cares? I personally think Pac should sit down and basically go on strike!. Haha. Announce to his promoter and the world that he will not fight another fight unless its FLOYD MAYWEATHER. This is very unlikely because Bob is savvy, smart, and has Pac tied into contractual hell.... its sad...sad for Pac,..Floyd..but most important all of us who just wanna see it. In the meantime and in between time..thanks a million for the bringing the people great stuff...can't wait till the shit hits the fan..hahaha.. Happy Thanksgiving my friend.
BT: Thanks Eddie. Happy Thanksgiving to you as well. You said it, Pacquiao should definitely "go on strike" if his promoter is trying to force him to fight someone that he doesn't really want to fight. As fast as Arum was to announce a potential fourth showdown with Marquez, it should be obvious to Pacquiao that his promoter probably has his own agenda. The question is, does he actually care? For all we know, Pacquiao might be perfectly content with facing Marquez again instead of fighting Mayweather. I don't think that's the case, but maybe it is. From a promoter's standpoint, I would think that the better business decision would be to fight Mayweather first since the fourth fight with Marquez will always be available, even if Pacquiao were to look horrible against Floyd. For some reason, however, Arum appears to be favoring that fourth Marquez fight. Go figure. I don't think Alex is too worried about being blacklisted. Like he said, he doesn't rely on Bob Arum to bring him fighters. I also don't think Alex is stupid, so I highly doubt that he would have said a lot of the things that he said if he thought it would impact his relationship with Freddie Roach. Considering that Alex does a lot of his business at Freddie's gym and they're around each other quite a bit, I'm sure those guys have talked a lot about everything that's been going on with Manny, Chavez Jr, Amir Khan, etc., so I don't think he said anything that hasn't already been talked about before. Freddie Roach himself has already expressed his opinion that Mayweather should be next, and I don't think it's a coincidence that, according to Ariza, Arum had someone tell Chavez Jr. that he should leave them and start working with Robert Garcia instead. I'm sure Alex knows how Freddie feels about the whole situation, so like he said, "they" are standing firm on their position. Let's just hope that everything that Alex said helps us get one step closer to seeing the fight we all want to see.
Hi. If there's a promoter, that's probably Don King or a lesser but equally good one, since Alex, Manny and Freddie have money of their own should maybe transfer or maybe if they they are kindred spirits, they should create their promotion (though Manny has his promotion it's just for the Philippines, a US influence is always good). It's just a matter of time anyway, De La Hoya, Mayweather became their own promotion companies after Bob. But the difference should be, there should be no one going away mad, nothing too personal- love or be charitable to your enemies. But if there no one out there and it's just Top Rank they should just be patient with Bob, love thy enemy and try to keep negativity. I hope they make amends. Good relationships is what having money and fame is all about too. Gbu, Alvin
BT: There was obviously a reason why both Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather chose to leave Bob Arum, and it's probably no coincidence that once they did, they started making more money for themselves than ever before. While one would think that Manny Pacquiao might learn from history's mistakes, it seems like it's going to take a lot more than those that are closest to him -- including his wife, his trainer, and his conditioning coach -- telling him that it might be a good idea to follow in the footsteps of others and go it alone. Even if he did want to break away, I highly doubt it would be that simple. Considering that he's the only elite fighter that I know of who is actually giving up a percentage of his money to not one, but TWO promoters, I'm pretty sure Bob Arum has him locked into an ironclad contract, so like it or not, he's not going anywhere. That being said, I do think he can take a better stand and demand that Bob Arum gives him the fight that he really wants, assuming, of course, that he really wants that fight. All he has to do is officially go on record and say that the only guy he wants to fight next is Floyd Mayweather, which would effectively force Bob Arum to sit down with the other side and actually try to negotiate the fight. At this point, however, it seems like Bob Arum doesn't even want to do that, choosing instead to give the appearance to Pacquiao that he's trying to make the fight, when he's really not. The reality is, Arum has refused to verbally speak with anyone representing Team Mayweather since he walked away from mediations in early 2010, and since then, he's been more than happy to have Pacquiao face his own fighters, keeping the promotion, and more importantly the money, all in-house.
First off Ben I like to shout you out for putting one of my e-mails in the mail bag. That was a good look and I appreciate that big guy. Man, Alex Ariza went off on Bob Arum and I must say rightfully so. Bob Arum is a cancer to the sport of boxing and I'm glad Alex stood up like a man and put his old ass on blast.Don't nobody want see Pacquiao/Marquez 4. Just like I've been saying Arum is the reason we have yet to see Mayweather fight Pacquiao. Well I'll go for now Ben but Happy holidays to you and your family. - Game
BT: Don't mention it. I appreciate the support. Alex definitely laid into Bob Arum, but I think he was simply speaking the truth. I mean, I don't know if I'd necessarily say he's a cancer to the entire sport because he has done a lot of good in giving boxing fans some great fights. It's just sometimes, he seems as though he's extremely bitter, vindictive, and has no problems with hurting others that he may have a grudge with. If fans simply do their research, they'll see that he has history of acting that way. Just go to Google and look at some of his comments from the past whenever he had a difference of opinion with someone:
"Oscar may have lost close decisions to Mosley & Trinidad, but we will knock this kid out" - Bob Arum on Oscar De La Hoya 8/30/00
"Marquez had an idiot manager." - Bob Arum on Nacho Beristain 3/14/08
"Roach is an idiot and he makes himself look like an idiot" - Bob Arum on Freddie Roach 1/30/07
His animosity towards Floyd Mayweather are probably the worst that he's ever had for anyone. I mean, they're so bad that he would rather not do business with him just to prevent Mayweather from making good money. At the same time, however, it's preventing others from making that same good money, including Manny Pacquiao, Freddie Roach, Alex Ariza, and anone else associated with that potential fight. At the end of the day, that doesn't matter to Arum though because he's still raking in far more money than anyone else by having Manny fight his own fighters. In my opinion, that's selfish.
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