In a somewhat strange story, Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer has decided to pull the plug on any possible offers from Jerry Jones and Cowboys Stadium in Texas. That's what Bob Arum told ESPN.com today.
Arum, Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer, who will co-promote the nearly finalized fight, and HBO Sports president Ross Greenburg were supposed to meet with Cowboys officials at the stadium on Wednesday for a tour of the facility and to talk with Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones about a site fee for the fight.
...
"Richard called me last night and said he won't go to Texas," Arum said. "And I told him to call Ross and tell him. And then I called Ross and said, 'You don't want me to go if he's not going. If Jerry Jones offers me money for the fight what is Pacquiao going to do? Go in the ring alone?' Schaefer just said, 'I'm not going to Texas. I'm not going to do the fight in Texas. I'm not going to waste my time.' That's the explanation."
Arum said he asked why and Schaefer's response was, "'The fight is March 13 and there isn't enough time to do a fight at an outdoor stadium.' It's bizarre, but that's what he said. I reminded him [that the stadium has a retractable roof]. He said it doesn't matter. I am not going to theorize. I'm just telling you what happened."
If Schaefer is serious about no outdoor stadium, that would also take out Miami, as the Dolphins just made Land Shark Stadium a possibility by stating interest, and the 30,000-seat outdoor stadium that was potentially being built in Las Vegas.
That would leave the obvious front-runner as the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, which was probably always going to be the home of the fight anyway. New Orleans' Superdome and Atlanta's Georgia Dome are also interested.