So what's Bob Arum's two cents
on the formation of TMT Promotions, headed by 50 Cent and rumored to be Floyd
Mayweather's newest promoter of record?
“I think it's really good
for boxing because if anybody has an idea on how to energize the urban community,
it's somebody like 50 Cent,” said Arum. “So I think that if he comes in and
promotes and is able to do that, I think everybody benefits. Everybody benefits
because, as you see, when we energized the Hispanic community and Hispanics
turned on to boxing, that benefited non-Hispanic fighters because of the
Hispanic fans. Well, the same thing will happen with the urban fans. So if he
can reinvigorate the urban base, well, that's great for everyone in boxing.”
So with this development,
does it increase the percentages of a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight in 2013?
“Yeah, I just got off the
phone talking with certain people and I think so because it strips away a lot
of the non-essential issues that were present with a Golden Boy-Top Rank
promotion. Those issues would not be the same,” answered Arum.
Perhaps, this is a case of “My
enemy’s enemy is my friend.” Regardless of his personal relationship with 50 (who
recently paid a handsome sum to Top Rank for the services of Yuriorkis Gamboa),
Arum says, “I have never met him; I met some of the people around him and I
like what he's saying and yeah, I look forward to doing stuff with him and I
think it's a positive thing.”
