Michael Marley
WORLD EXCLUSIVE REPORT
6/7/2007

 

There’s one important upcoming fight which the Associated Press does not have listed on its agate type schedule. Actually, the AP is not to be blamed as this knockdown, drag out battle is being waged in a federal court lawsuit rather in the prize ring. And now, Boxingconfidential.com has learned exclusively, the legal war between Bob Arum’s Top Rank and Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions over the promotional rights to Filipino superstar Manny Pacquaio has a real chance of being settled.

 

I’m not saying that GBP’s warlord Richie “Boxing Banker” Schaefer, who is Oscar’s consigliere, is getting ready to smoke the peace pipe with the masterful Arum. I’m not saying they are getting ready to sit around the old campfire, toast some marshmallows and sign “Kumbya,” either. What I am saying is that, in the next two weeks, there is a settlement conference scheduled in Los Angeles in which the two sides will be asked by a judge if they can find common ground and perhaps settle the contentious matter without going to trial. In civil cases  especially, judges quite often take an active role in urging the litigating parties to forego the time, expense and psychic wear and tear of having a trial. If the parties can voluntarily settle, with or without a not so gentle push from the judge, it also helps clear up badly overloaded judicial dockets.

 

I hear your cynicism. You think Phil Leotardo and Tony Soprano are more likely to peacefully and amicably settle their dispute than Schaefer and Arum are. (Which reminds me what a great job Leotardo sidekick Albie Ciaflone, in real life the former boxing promoter John “Cha Cha” Ciarcia is doing on the one espisode to go “Sopranos” HBO series.) But I digress.

 

Other pieces to the Pacman puzzle are falling into place and may bode well for a cessation shortly of the financially draining GBP-TR war. There may be no more need for the rival promoters to “go to the mattresses” and continue fighting.

 

GBP has made Juan Manuel Marquez-Jorge Barrios for September 15. Pacman will be fighting on October 6, perhaps in Vancouver, against either undefeated Dominican Joan Guzman (a GBP-Sycuan promoted boxer) or Arum’s own Mexican warrior, Humberto Soto who figures to run over Manny’s brother, Bobby “Sniper” Pacquaio Saturday night underneath Cotto-Judah.

 

Let’s suppose Guzman gets the Pacman bout. That leaves only Marco Antonio Barrera of GBP without a dance partner. There’s no reason the legend couldn’t wait to face the winner of Guzman-Pacman or the winner of Soto-Pacman.

 

Leotardo and Soprano and their crews only have one more round left to fight. For the good of boxing overall and the involved fighters in particular, let’s hope that the settlement conference pushes GBP and Top Rank into a peace accord.

 

(mlcmarley@aol.com)