Since when did Michael Koncz start working for Top Rank? Depending on who you ask, some might say he's always been working for them, however, his official role is advisor to Manny Pacquiao. That being said, I can't help but wonder why Bob Arum would send him, along with Donny Rucker and Joseph Jackson of Falcon Hawk Entertainment, to Mayweather's gym to "discuss" a potential showdown with Manny Pacquiao. Last summer, when Bob Arum was suppposedly "negotiating" details of the fight, he was communicating with Al Haymon through former HBO Sports President Ross Greenburg. Prior to that, in 2009, when both sides first attempted to make the fight, Arum was initially working directly with Richard Schaefer, but when talks began to break down, he removed himself from the equation and it was his step-son, Todd duBoef, who took over the duties. Now, with the issue of random blood and urine testing seemingly behind us, Arum apparently has tasked someone who doesn't even work for his company with the responsibility of introducing investors to Mayweather. It's a curious move considering that Todd duBoef has a great relationship with Floyd Mayweather and actually speaks to him often.
During a recent conversation I had with Mayweather, he had nothing but kind words for Todd duBoef and the whole duBoef family. To my surprise, he told me that he speaks to Todd on the regular, not about boxing, but about their families and life in general. Mayweather made it clear to me that if he were speaking directly to anyone about any real negotiations, it would be Todd duBoef, not some other 3rd party like Michael Koncz or a group of investors. In fact, Mayweather informed me that he recently spoke to Todd duBoef while he was in New York to promote last Saturday's rematch between Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito. When Mayweather himself briefly brought up the topic of the mega-fight, it was duBoef who changed the subject to their children, further verifying his opinion that Bob Arum isn't really interested in making the fight with Pacquiao. According to Mayweather, if it was Todd duBoef calling the shots, the fight with Pacquiao would have already happened a long time ago.
Perhaps that might explain why it was Koncz, the "non-employee" of Top Rank, who was sent on the mission to Mayweather's gym. While it's understandable that Pacquiao's advisor would be involved in discussions between investors and Top Rank, there's no real logical reason why he would be Bob Arum's pick as the Top Rank emissary to "negotiate" directly with Mayweather, especially when he knows the type of relationship that Mayweather has with the entire duBoef family. If Arum was sincere in his efforts to make the fight that Manny Pacquiao and the fans really wants, then just like in 2009, Todd duBoef would've been called for the duty as opposed to the grimey looking, cigarette-smelling Michael Koncz. I've said it before and I'll say it again, regardless of what's being fed to the public by Arum's personal spin doctors, there are no negotiations taking place at this time. Expect some kind of formal excuse to come from Arum in the near future before he makes the official announcement that Manny Pacquiao will be facing Juan Manuel Marquez for a fourth time on June 9, 2012 at Cowboys Stadium.*
On a side note, what exactly was Juan Manuel Marquez doing in New York City this past weekend? Was he simply there to support fellow Mexican Antonio Margarito in his rematch with Cotto, or did he have other business to attend to?
On another side note, what's up with the pay-per-view number for Pacquiao vs. Marquez III? While I have no doubt that they were good, why is it taking so long for Bob Arum to release them? Not that I really care, but I do find it interesting that it's been nearly 4 weeks since the fight and yet, there hasn't really been too many people complaining about the lack of numbers. When it was Maywether vs. Ortiz, however, only one week went by before "journalists" were writing and tweeting about all kinds of conspiraCy theories about low numbers. Go figure.
* Date and venue subject to change.
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