Arum Says He’s Open To Deal With Golden Boy For Donaire-Mares

Arum Says – What’s next for Rios (left) and Donaire (right) was discussed in NYC Thursday with promoter Arum, standing next to trainer Robert Garcia. (Chris Farina-Top Rank)

One of the fights most craved by fight fans is a showdown between Nonito Donaire and Abner Mares. Bob Arum, who promotes Donaire, was asked today if a match between the Filipino-American and the Cali-based boxer Mares, who works with Golden Boy, will get made.

Arum and Golden Boy’s relations are frosty, to say the least, and the companies work together basically only when forced to do so. The promoter was asked about this so-called “cold war” during a media gathering at Kingsway Gym in NYC on Wednesday. Top Rank along with K2, promotes a show Saturday at the MSG Theater, with three of the bouts to run on HBO.

“It’s BS,” he said. “”It’s not a simple business.” Arum explained that Frank Espinoza, who manages Mares, wants to have his guy meet Donaire. Arum threw out a sum of money that he thinks would work for the Mares side, and says Espinoza said he’d inform Golden Boy’s Richard Schaefer of the offer. But Arum made clear that he sees his guy as the “A side” fighter, who brings Filipino TV money to the table, and that Golden Boy and Mares would have to accept a subordinate role (and, I’d guess, payday). “It’s not a question of, ‘I can’t deal with them, that’s BS,’ Arum said. If Golden Boy has an A side fighter, and Arum has a B sider that would make a good match, he’d be open to it. Like, if Floyd Mayweather wanted to fight Brandon Rios, Arum would be fine with having his guy Rios as the B side guy.

But, he said, fighters are not like baseball cards. They aren’t traded back and forth between promoters in a flippant fashion.

Arum also said Tim Bradley has a fight in place, on March 16. Against who? “I’m not telling,” he said. Bradley manager Cameron Dunkin, also present at Kingsway, also wouldn’t give up the name of Bradley’s foe, but said it’s a surprising name and would make fight fans happy. “It’s going to be wild!” We should know the mystery man this week. The fight will unfold at the Home Depot center, in LA.

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