LAS VEGAS – Bob Arum, Manny Pacquiao’s legendary promoter, said it was wrong for people to say that the coming bout between his fighter and Floyd Mayweather on Saturday will be the biggest fight ever.
“It’s absolutely not,“ he said, adding “it’s silly to say that.”
The only reason he said this fight appears to be big and truly global is technology. Social media has made it so, plus the fact that people can watch it as it happens because of pay per view.
The earlier fights featuring boxers like Sugar Ray Leonard, Roberto Duran, Marvin Hagler, Tommy Hearns and those of Muhammad Ali were much greater, he said.
But their fights did not assume the current proportion between Pacquiao and Mayweather because during those times, electronic technology was primitive, he said.
He cited the fight between Sugar Ray and Duran as “a crazy confrontation,” pitting a Hispanic star (Duran) against the darling of America.
“That was a huge, huge fight and all we had was closed circuit TV,” said Arum, 83, who has promoted some of the biggest fights in history.
Now, he said, the whole landscape has changed. Pacquiao and Mayweather will be shown all over the world with pay per view sales surging in Australia, the United Kingdom, Germany and many other countries.
Putting the Pacquiao-Mayweather fight in perspective, he said the fight on Saturday at MGM will only be “the biggest fight in the last 15 years.”
People may say this fight is bigger than in other eras, Arum said, and they are entitled to their opinion. “But let me assure you that they are wrong.”
Also he said, the coming will make the most money and will be the biggest because of technology.
