MANILA, Philippines - On Christmas Eve, Bob Arum closed the door on Floyd Mayweather Jr. and opened new ones for Paul Malignaggi and practically anyone else drooling for a fight with Manny Pacquiao.
“Life goes on. We’re not going to let Manny get pushed around by Floyd. Floyd wants to play his games, let him play,” the Top Rank chief told USA Today Thursday, the day before Christmas.
“This all has to do with Mayweather being Mayweather. He never wanted to fight Manny. He wanted a way out. Well, he’s got his way out. Goodbye,” said Arum, adding he’s not about to lose sleep over the matter. Arum, who represents Pacquiao, and Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer, for Mayweather, took very little time to get the negotiations going for what should have been a historic fight on March 13. But because of certain issues regarding the blood testing, the fight came to a screeching halt and again, unless Mayweather sees the light shining on a $25 million paycheck, Arum is looking elsewhere.Mayweather wanted an Olympic-style drug testing by the US Anti-Doping Agency, one that may require as many as five blood test and a dozen urine tests, in the months, weeks or a day before and after the fight.
But Pacquiao would have none of it. He has agreed to do three blood tests, on the first week of January, the month before the fight and right after the fight, under the same agency that does the NBA or the NFL. But Mayweather would have none of it.
Pacquiao said it’s Mayweather’s way of running out of the fight.
Now, Arum is looking at Malignaggi as Pacquiao’s next opponent. It could happen on March 13, anywhere in the world, or past the May 2010 elections in the Philippines where Pacquiao is seeking a congressional seat.
There’s also Tim Bradley who wants a fight with Pacquiao, with or without the blood tests, or Yuri Foreman, Juan Manuel Marquez or Edwin Valero.
And Shane Mosley, too, if he beats Andre Berto on Jan. 30.
Whoever it may be, Arum said it’s going to be a big one.
Mayweather can go to England, face Matthew Hatton, earn a few millions and keep his unbeaten record without being touched at all, boxing sources said.
For the meantime, Pacquiao spent Christmas with his family in Gen. Santos City, and should be on the Flight to the United States the first week of January, not for the Mayweather press tour, but a family vacation.
Malignaggi, under Lou DiBella, is a fighter, lasting the distance with Miguel Cotto in 2006 then losing to Ricky Hatton before bouncing back with a victory over Juan Diaz. Now, his next fight could be against Pacquiao.
“Manny would absolutely love to fight Mosley. Shane is a super, super young man. We’re not going to start all this crazy nonsense with drug testing given Shane’s background with that unfortunate incident,” Arum told USA Today.
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