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Thread: Marcos Maidana has the power to change boxing's tired narrative

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    Default Marcos Maidana has the power to change boxing's tired narrative

    Marcos Maidana has the power to change boxing's tired narrative

    By Martin Rogers 20 hours ago Yahoo Sports





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    Marcos Maidana believes he can settle the increasingly hostile dispute between boxing's leading factions.
    Yahoo Sports






    The Argentinean power puncher will face Floyd Mayweather at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on May 3 and has been the unwitting fall guy in an acrimonious battle involving the sport's two biggest promoters, its most important networks and its highest-profile fighters.
    Top Rank chief Bob Arum blasted the Mayweather camp and its broadcast ally Showtime last week in a vitriolic rant in which he accused the pound-for-pound king of cherry-picking weak opposition instead of squaring off with Manny Pacquiao.

    While Arum's method of delivery came under scrutiny –he repetedly used the word thug to refer to the Mayweather crew and urged fans to boycott the broadcast – Maidana was caught along in the crossfire of the 82-year-old's rant, which attempted to minimize his credentials as a legitimate opponent.

    Although few give Maidana a chance to win, he believes he can settle the argument of whether Mayweather is picking opponents of sufficient quality.
    "It doesn't frighten me what Bob Arum has to say," Maidana said during a conference call on Wednesday. "A lot of times I have been the underdog and won fights. Bob Arum should know better than that.



    Floyd Mayweather Jr. is now 45-0 in his professional career. (Getty)

    "He is just trying to prevent us from having a great night and a great pay-per-view. I am training to beat Floyd Mayweather and after I do that no one will be saying that he takes easy fights anymore."
    Maidana is a 7-to-1 underdog and has three blemishes on his career record, having lost to Devon Alexander, Amir Khan and Andreas Kotelnik. However, his recent performances have been impressive, most notably when handing a boxing lesson to previously undefeated Adrien Broner at the Alamodome last December to claim the WBA welterweight title.
    Mayweather supporters insist Maidana is a genuinely challenging opponent, pointing to the spectacular punching power that has given him 31 knockouts in his 35 victories.
    "We know we are in a tough fight," said Mayweather's advisor Leonard Ellerbe. "When [Maidana] hits guys, they fall."
    Ellerbe was impressed by what he saw when taking time out to visit Maidana's training camp this week and was adamant that Mayweather would not be taking him lightly.
    He was less enthused by Arum's remarks after Pacquiao's victory over Timothy Bradley on Saturday, and the growing rift between Arum's Top Rank (backed by HBO) and the Mayweather/Golden Boy Promotions collaboration means any chance of the bout all of boxing wants to see is still unlikely.
    "I don't think about a damn thing that comes out of [Arum's] mouth," Ellerbe said when asked for a response. "Everything that comes out of Bob Arum's mouth is a lie."
    Golden Boy boss Oscar De La Hoya had an interesting spin on the saga, insisting that Arum's rant was fueled by the concern that Mayweather-Maidana would turn into a classic contest that would vastly overshadow Top Rank's Pacquiao promotion from last week.
    "It is reverse psychology from Bob," De La Hoya said. "Maybe what he really feels is that Maidana is going to beat Mayweather and he is trying to get people away from what will be a great fight."
    That approach seemed like a bit of a stretch, to say the least, and Arum would surely contest the interpretation.
    But, then again, boxing's powerbrokers don't seem to agree on much these days, and each faction remains steadfastly tied to its own corner.
    The Mayweather-Pacquiao showdown the sport has long craved is still dead in the water, but a great performance from Maidana on May 3 would at least give the sport's blowhards something new to talk about.

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    Promoter Bob Arum erupts, launching incendiary rant at MGM Resorts executive

    By Kevin Iole April 9, 2014 8:05 PM





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    BEVERLY HILLS, CA - AUGUST 08: Promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank Boxing speaks at a press conference previewing the upcoming match against Manny Pacquiao Brandon Rios at Beverly Hills Hotel on August 8, 2013 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)



    LAS VEGAS -- An oversized photo of superstar boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. is festooned on the side of the MGM Grand and has for several years greeted visitors who are heading East on Tropicana Ave. toward Las Vegas Blvd.
    But it is not that smiling visage of boxing's pound-for-pound king which has made Top Rank CEO Bob Arum so irate. That photo is there as a result of a contract, and Arum said he is not bothered by it.
    He is, however, extraordinarily irate by the prominent advertising in and around the casino for the May 3 Mayweather fight at the MGM against Marcos Maidana. During Wednesday's news conference to promote Saturday's rematch between Manny Pacquiao and Timothy Bradley, and later in a lengthy and explosive interview with Yahoo Sports, Arum unloaded on Richard Sturm, the president and chief operating officer of MGM Resorts Entertainment and Sports, for being responsible for so much Mayweather advertising.
    Saturday's Pacquiao-Bradley bout for the WBO welterweight title is close to a sell-out and promoters are hoping to reach 1 million on pay-per-view. But according to Arum, the advertising for the Pacquiao-Bradley fight is not nearly as prominent as it is for the May 3 Mayweather-Maidana fight because of Sturm.
    Arum told Yahoo Sports that Jim Murren, the chairman/chief executive officer of MGM Resorts International, apologized to Top Rank president Todd duBoef. Arum said that Bill Hornbuckle, the president and chief marketing officer of MGM Resorts, also made similar apologies to duBoef.
    However, Arum said "there has been an internal battle going on over there" at the MGM and Sturm made the decision on his own to put the advertising for the Mayweather fight up prominently inside the casino.
    That is extremely rarely done in boxing in Las Vegas, where a casino would advertise a future fight while a current one is going on, because promoters have dramatically different sponsors and corporate partners. But in this case, there is a large red and black Mayweather-Maidana ad just outside the media center at the inside entrance to the Grand Garden Arena. At the MGM's main valet parking area, there is in Arum's words, "A huge, massive ad for that 15-1 fight and just a little thing for our fight off to the side."
    "Jim Murren apologized effusively to Todd and he said it wasn't supposed to be this way," Arum said. "But it was that brain dead moron Sturm who did it."

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    MGM Resorts executive Richard Sturm (Getty)

    Sturm, in a statement released to Yahoo Sports from MGM Resorts public relations, said he was shocked by Arum’s words.

    "I was truly shocked by Bob’s comments at today’s press conference and honestly disappointed," his statement read. "MGM Grand hosted a fight March 8 and has three additional fight events scheduled now through Memorial Day weekend. We always do everything possible to properly promote the events throughout our resorts and over the decades have promoted, many, many sporting events with enormous success." On Wednesday, the large cutout photo became a major bone of contention between Top Rank CEO Bob Arum and executives at the MGM Grand, the venue which hosts the vast majority of significant boxing matches in the world.
    What makes the matter worse for Arum are the business alliances. Top Rank has long had a rocky relationship with Golden Boy. Golden Boy is promoting the May 3 show and Top Rank is putting on Saturday's card. Corona is a major Golden Boy sponsor, while Corona rival Tecate is a major Top Rank sponsor. And Golden Boy fights are on Showtime and Top Rank fights are on HBO.
    Arum said that when he and duBoef first spoke to MGM officials about the Pacquiao-Bradley fight, he proposed doing it at Mandalay Bay. Mandalay Bay is an MGM Resorts property that is across the street from the MGM Grand.
    "They wanted it at the MGM because they have the mansion there [which houses high-rolling customers] and all of the Asian high-rollers will be there," Arum said. "We talked about the Mayweather photo on the outside and they said it was contractual and had to stay there. But Hornbuckle said they'd make up for it and have our stuff all over the building."
    But there is significantly more Mayweather-Maidana advertising in the build than there is Pacquiao-Bradley advertising. When Arum introduced Sturm at the news conference on Wednesday in the MGM's Hollywood Theater, he couldn't resist taking a shot.
    "And now, it's a pleasure to introduce the president of hanging posters and decorations for the wrong fight," Arum said from the podium. "Please welcome Richard Sturm."
    Sturm smirked, but read his script welcoming the media and fighters and made no reference to Arum's comments.
    Arum said he isn't concerned that he'll be blackballed from doing fights at the MGM. He said the MGM ought to be concerned that he'll bring major fights back to The Venetian Macau. He promoted Pacquiao's last fight there, a win over Brandon Rios, on Nov. 23.
    Arum has a relationship with The Venetian and has been doing a series of smaller shows featuring Asian stars. But he plans for either Pacquiao or Bradley to fight again in November against the winner of the May 17 bout between Juan Manuel Marquez and Mike Alvarado, and said he might take it to China.
    "Manny Pacquiao fights do five times the business in the casino that the other guy's [Mayweather] fights do, and they should be worried that I'm going to take a huge fight to The Venetian," Arum said. "This is about respect. Sturm is a moron and he doesn't get that. Money is money and it's just one thing, but when you disrespect someone, they'll never forget.
    "I'm never going to forget this. I'm dealing with a guy who is totally clueless. I said it before, but he's a moron. He doesn't have a [expletive] clue what the [expletive] he's doing. He's a business person and he can't get out of his own way, the [expletive]."

    Hornbuckle has had a long and mostly good relationship with Arum and duBoef over the years, but he was dismayed by Arum’s actions and particularly his comment about respect.

    "Apparently, Bob’s definition of respect and class are different than ours," he said.

    Fib's comment,
    This is Manny Pacquio's "Consiliari", not much to add to this.
    The head of all haters. Sure they took away a Golden Chiken......
    Last edited by Fibroso; 04-17-2014 at 10:45 PM.

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    Broner made Maidana mad by not wearing a condom when he tried to take Maidana from behind in the 2nd round.............

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