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Donaire vs Mares: Golden Boy offers $3 million to promote the fight

Golden Boy Promotions has reported offered Top Rank $3 million to promote a fight between Abner Mares and Nonito Donaire. Could this great matchup actually happen, or is it just more big talk?

Tom Casino/SHOWTIME

With boxing fans demanding Nonito Donaire vs Abner Mares at 122 pounds, it appears the stakes between rival promoters Top Rank and Golden Boy are getting pretty high.

While Top Rank's Bob Arum has said he'd offer Golden Boy a fee to promote the fight, Golden Boy has reportedly countered by offering Top Rank $3 million for the rights to the bout, which they would promote without Top Rank's assistance, the same idea Top Rank has to do it without Golden Boy's aid, only their fighter.

Schaefer, though, doesn't believe Arum actually wants to do it, despite Top Rank speaking with Mares' promoter, Frank Espinoza:

"Itt is the same bullshit that we went through with a potential Mayweather-Pacquiao fight. He has no intention to do it. There have been conversations going on between him and Mares' manager, Frank Espinoza, and Arum has been lowballing us for a potential fight, to provide the services of Abner Mares. ... I will pay Top Rank $3 million dollars, and I don't know what kind of deal they have with Donaire...probably a 50-50, so [Arum] can pay Donaire $1.5 million and he can make $1.5 million, but I don't care how they split up the $3 million."

Really, it just seems like more posturing from both sides. If Arum really is offering low money, then he can always at least say, "Hey, I tried to make it, they were unreasonable." If Schaefer truly believes Arum just won't allow the fight to happen, then he could offer anything and be able to say, "Look, we made this offer." It's the same bullshit we went through with the Khan-Bradley negotiations once upon a time, where Khan and Golden Boy offered all of these great things for a fight that they knew wouldn't happen.

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