Manny Pacquiao's bout with Shane Mosley hurts boxing, but increases earnings for promoter Bob Arum
nydailynews.com For all those who thought Manny Pacquiao would be fighting Juan Manuel Marquez for a third time or even getting into the ring against a young, fast welterweight champion like Andre Berto for his next mega fight comes the disappointing news that the PacMan will be meeting 39-year-old former welterweight champ Shane Mosley in Las Vegas on May 7.
For all of those, like me, who never thought that promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank would let his cash cow get into the ring against someone who is remotely competitive, or seemingly competitive, the news of Mosley being the next Pacquiao opponent isn't surprising or disappointing. Actually it makes perfect business sense - low risk, big reward.
It is merely par for the course with how Arum promotes Pacquiao, but if you want to blame someone for Pacquiao fighting Mosley, blame Pacquiao because ultimately he's the one who decides who he wants to fight. All Arum does is outline the financial particulars and negotiates the contracts with the various parties involved with staging the fight.
Of course Mosley is the path of least resistance for both Arum and Pacquiao. Mosley recently parted ways with Golden Boy Promotions, a hated Arum rival promotion company, and Mosley looked bad in his two most recent fights. He was dominated by Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and he looked old and disinterested against the talentless Sergio Mora.
Arum gets to keep everything in-house since he doesn't have to negotiate with another promoter and he gets to run the show the way that he wants. Of course he doesn't have to share any of the profits from the promotion either. It's a win-win for Arum and Pacquiao, who doesn't go into the fight worrying about ending up face down on the canvas.
It's bad news for boxing, which has already been stiffed twice with the failed negotiations for the only match that anyone wants to see - Pacquiao-Mayweather.
When the biggest attraction in the sport is involved in another match that is perceived as not being competitive, then what's the point for most boxing fans? Of course Pacquiao has a blind, loyal legion of followers in the Philippines who view the newly minted Congressman as some kind of athletic deity. Maybe they will be the ones who plunk down $50 or $60 a pop for the pay per view.
But how many times can you sell Pacquiao against the Joshua Clotteys, Antonio Margaritos and Shane Mosleys of boxing? Arum aims to find out before he is forced to make a meaningful match for his singular sensation.
It's amazing how quickly Arum's view of Mosley changed when Mosley's promotional circumstances changed. After Mosley beat Mora, Arum dismissed Mosley as not a viable opponent for Pacquiao, deeming Mosley too old and slow to make a marketable match. As soon as Mosley dropped Golden Boy as his promotional partner, he became the best option for Pacquiao.
It is merely par for the course with how Arum promotes Pacquiao, but if you want to blame someone for Pacquiao fighting Mosley, blame Pacquiao because ultimately he's the one who decides who he wants to fight. All Arum does is outline the financial particulars and negotiates the contracts with the various parties involved with staging the fight.
Of course Mosley is the path of least resistance for both Arum and Pacquiao. Mosley recently parted ways with Golden Boy Promotions, a hated Arum rival promotion company, and Mosley looked bad in his two most recent fights. He was dominated by Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and he looked old and disinterested against the talentless Sergio Mora.
Arum gets to keep everything in-house since he doesn't have to negotiate with another promoter and he gets to run the show the way that he wants. Of course he doesn't have to share any of the profits from the promotion either. It's a win-win for Arum and Pacquiao, who doesn't go into the fight worrying about ending up face down on the canvas.
It's bad news for boxing, which has already been stiffed twice with the failed negotiations for the only match that anyone wants to see - Pacquiao-Mayweather.
When the biggest attraction in the sport is involved in another match that is perceived as not being competitive, then what's the point for most boxing fans? Of course Pacquiao has a blind, loyal legion of followers in the Philippines who view the newly minted Congressman as some kind of athletic deity. Maybe they will be the ones who plunk down $50 or $60 a pop for the pay per view.
But how many times can you sell Pacquiao against the Joshua Clotteys, Antonio Margaritos and Shane Mosleys of boxing? Arum aims to find out before he is forced to make a meaningful match for his singular sensation.
It's amazing how quickly Arum's view of Mosley changed when Mosley's promotional circumstances changed. After Mosley beat Mora, Arum dismissed Mosley as not a viable opponent for Pacquiao, deeming Mosley too old and slow to make a marketable match. As soon as Mosley dropped Golden Boy as his promotional partner, he became the best option for Pacquiao.
