Bob Arum spoke with Michael Marley in the latest development of this ongoing Pacquiao vs Marquez saga, with Golden Boy trying to find a way to block the fight (which I find more and more ridiculous). According to Arum, Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer has demanded a retraction from the Los Angeles Times for quoting Schaefer as saying that HBO would help them secure a $5 million payday for Juan Manuel Marquez to fight Victor Ortiz.
"As I understand it," Arum said, "Mr. Schaefer told the LA Times that he was misquoted (by reporter Lance Pugmire). I hear that Mr. Schaefer demanded a retraction."
(Btw, Pugmire is a calm, careful reporter with years of experience so I doubt any misquotations here.)
From his obviously less than neutral perch, Arum thinks it was either hubris or a slip of the tongue by Schaefer.
"Mr. Schaefer may have spoken out of school," Arum said.
I will say that I do not know Lance Pugmire on a personal level, but having read his work for years I find him to be reliable as a reporter, and in the couple of instances I have had brief exchanges with him through email, a very friendly person. That might not mean a lot, but that's what I can add there personally.
For all the world it seems like Top Rank has made Marquez an offer that Golden Boy will have to refuse matching. The $5 million to Marquez for a fight that doesn't involve Pacquiao is already a little insane. The $10 million rematch guarantee would be pure lunacy. If they try to guarantee Marquez a $10 million rematch in the event he beats Victor Ortiz in a possible fight, they could stand to take some advice from Paulie Walnuts to Vito Spatafore: "Have a cookie! You're delirious!" There is no way to explain that as something worthwhile for GBP to risk.
Arum also spoke about Shane Mosley's performance, but he's not being blunt or harsh about it. He just feels that Mosley, like others, can't deal with Pacquiao's power, and compared it to Joshua Clottey. But I don't feel that calling Clottey a "warrior" before he fought Pacquiao is really accurate -- Clottey basically gave away a fight with Miguel Cotto with similar wait-and-wait-and-wait offensive tactics. Arum does say that because of the beating Manny gave him, Antonio Margarito "will probably never fight again." When Arum goes that far, the likelihood of Margarito having seen his last 12 rounds appears to be upped.