By Johnny Walker
The feud between Top Rank and Golden Boy boxing promotions appears to be boiling over after each outfit scheduled a big fight in Las Vegas on September 15.
Rising Mexican star Saul “Canelo” Alvarez goes up recent Victor Ortiz conqueror Josesito Lopez at the MGM Grand in a Showtime-televised bout, while Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. takes on Sergio Martinez at the Thomas & Mack Center on an HBO pay-per-view card.
Arum is incensed that his promotional rivals are staging an event to compete with his on what he considers his turf.
“This is not a serious fight,” Arum says of Canelo vs Lopez.
“This is like children putting on something to spite another child, who is sitting at the table with a tasty treat, you know?”
After taking that not-so-veiled shot at Golden Boy, Arum goes further, claiming that the MGM Grand management is upset because the venue is already getting complaints
about the Alvarez-Lopez card, which takes place during Mexican Independence Day weekend.
“[The MGM Grand] is telling their customers, ‘Come. We’ve got this fight on Mexican Independence Day.’ And their customers are saying, ‘We want you to get us tickets for the Martinez-Chavez fight.’ So they’re going to have to buy tickets from us for Thomas & Mack,” Arum contends.
Unsurprisingly, Richard Schaefer of Golden Boy takes a very different view.
“[Arum] has become a joke. That’s a joke,” says Schaefer of Arum’s remarks on the MGM Grand.
“There is not more to say than that. The MGM is upset…they’re upset that he keeps pissing all over them every single time. He has zero relationship skills. He doesn’t understand the word relationship. He only does what’s good for Bob Arum.”
“The only thing that I can add is that he’s full of shit, but we all know that. I’m not going to respond to this bullshit anymore. Let him say whatever [because] he’s full of shit,” Schaffer huffs.
One thing is sure: this is a feud not likely to die down anytime soon.