Promoter Bob Arum had a couple of noteworthy comments to Lem Satterfield at FanHouse today, saying he's discussing Cowboys Stadium as the venue for the November 13 fight between Manny Pacquiao and Antonio Margarito, and that May 2011 is the new target date for the by-then-overdue clash between Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather.
Recently, a statement attributed to Pacquiao (likely ghostwritten, but based around Pacquiao's feelings anyway) said that he would still want to fight Mayweather in November. Arum put the kibosh on that:
"It's too late for the fall. So Pacquiao-Mayweather would be something in the spring. Floyd has not signed officially with King, but when he does, I'm sure that Don will talk to me and we'll work it out."
Even though the fighters could probably be ready by November, Arum is right that it's too late to promote that fight properly to guarantee the absolute maximum attention, hype, and thus money. So let's shut that down for now and worry about it later.
The Top Rank chief is also "very optimistic" that he'll be able to strike a deal with Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones to hold the Pacquiao-Margarito fight at Cowboys Stadium. The only catch, and it's not addressed, is that Margarito still is not allowed to fight in the United States of America. He is currently awaiting a date this month to have his case heard before the California State Athletic Commission, which is the governing body that suspended him in early 2009. He was sent there by Nevada, who rejected an application for a license from their AC earlier this year.
What's shady about this is Arum says nothing about California, but that he "does not believe that Margarito will have a problem obtaining a license in Texas." Margarito tried to get a license to fight in Texas earlier on the Pacquiao-Clottey undercard in March, and it didn't happen. If California turns him down this month, what do they do? Does the Texas AC then have the guts to just say, "screw California," and license a highly controversial fighter in a hot-button issue? Arum says Abu Dhabi is out of the running, so that would leave Mexico as a realistic possibility. But it's clear he wants to do it at Cowboys Stadium. The Texas AC has in the past been a bit...lenient, let's say, so he may be banking on that. Or he may already know something.


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