Boxing news: Arum disappointed with Pacquiao for failure to announce opponent
Bob Arum is disappointed with Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao for his failure to name his next opponent for April next year. The Top Rank Promotions chief held back his words against the Filipino titlist, but it was clear that he’s not happy with Pacquiao’s decision to delay the announcement of the name of his nemesis in his comeback, maybe last fight.
“Being surprised is a polite term for it. But again, it's his career, it's his life and the announcement will come when it will come. So I'm not there, Mike [Koncz, Pacquiao’s adviser] is there. Mike is doing what he can and hopefully it will be made shortly,” Arum stated to Steve Kim of boxingscene.com.
Pacquiao was supposed to name his opponent for next year last weekend but the Filipino boxer has delayed the announcement and there are no confirmed reports on when he will make the announcement.
In the same interview, Arum also stated that Top Rank is definitely having a fight on April 9, 2016 at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada in the US even if the card does not star Pacquiao.
Arum also touched on the subject of the probable return of Floyd Mayweather to the boxing ring.
“As far as I'm concerned and as far as the feedback I have received, Mayweather is retired. Leonard Ellerbe [Mayweather's adviser] keeps saying that. I believe him,” Arum added. “I don't see any indication otherwise and therefore I'm not going to say, 'Oh, yeah, he can fight Mayweather,' whatever. Mayweather's retired and until we learn otherwise, he is retired.”
Mayweather won by unanimous decision against Pacquiao in the “Fight of the Century” last May and a rematch is now unlikely after the American retired from the sport after his fight last September.
Pacquiao is reportedly choosing among Terence Crawford, Timothy Bradley or Amir Khan for his next and probably last fight in his career as the Filipino has stated in the past that he has plans of retiring to concentrate on his political career in the Philippines.
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