Michael Marley
6/27/2007
EXTRA EDITION UPDATE: At 3:13 p.m. PDT, Peacemaker Bob Arum informed me "the talks are going good, real good."
Bob Arum’s lips are still zipped. All the Top Rank bossman would tell me Wedneday is that the mediation process between his company and rival Golden Boy Promotions is at the make it or break it stage.
“Things are very delicate,” Arum said. “That’s all I can tell you.”
Outside sources inform Boxingconfidential.com that what will push the mediation over the top or cause it to unravel, leaving GBP’s lawsuit wending its way to trail, is the discussion the two sides are having right now in Los Angeles over how they could share the promotional rights and revenue from Manny Pacquaio’s fights.
“If they can agree on that,” our informed source said, “then all the other pieces will fall into place. They will put Pacquaio-Barrera II on in October, in Las Vegas or at the Staples Center in LA, and they can make some other matches pitting De La Hoya boxers against Top Rank fighters. You won’t see Pacman fighting in Vancouver in this lifetime.”
“Mr. In The Know” said retired Judge Daniel Weinstein, the highly-praised and highly-rated mediator, just keeps encouraging the parties to keep talking.
“I see a breakthrough, either way, by this time (4 pm EDT) tomorrow (Thursday),” our source said. “I think they will settle this and become cooperative co-promoters of Pacman and friendly competitors on all the other boxers they have. But they will settle because the legal bills are out of control. Also neither side wants to expose their business practices and secrets in public in front of a jury.”
(mlcmarley@aol.com)
