Arum Calls Mayweather-Cotto II Talk 'Absolute Nonsense'
Posted by: Keith Idec on 1/28/2015 .
By Keith Idec
If the Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Manny Pacquiao fight cannot be made, despite supposed progress in negotiations, Bob Arum doesn’t consider a rematch between Mayweather and Miguel Cotto to be a viable alternative.
Pacquaio’s promoter was a guest Tuesday night on SiriusXM’s “Going The Distance,” co-hosted by Wally Matthews and Teddy Atlas each Tuesday night from 6-8 p.m. ET (Sports Zone Channel 92). When Matthews asked about the possibility of Mayweather fighting Cotto again, Arum dismissed the idea as “absolute nonsense” because CBS, Showtime’s parent company, would lose too much money on that pay-per-view fight.
“Showtime is now losing about $10-12 million on a Mayweather fight,” Arum explained. “If he fights Cotto, Cotto will want at least $13 million to fight Mayweather, which is about $10 million more than a normal Mayweather opponent. In addition, since Floyd can get $32 million to fight a bus boy, he’s going to want at least another $10 million to fight Cotto. So that means laying out another $20 million [combined for Mayweather and Cotto].
“And since the first fight did about a million, three [1.3 million buys], this fight will probably do a little less, probably a million [buys], a million, one [1.1 million buys]. Which means, if it happens Showtime/CBS would take a bath for $20 million. And they’re not prepared to do that. So all talk about a Cotto-Mayweather fight is absolute nonsense.”
Mayweather’s unanimous-decision win against Cotto in May 2012 reportedly drew 1.5 million pay-per-view purchases and generated roughly $94 million in domestic pay-per-view revenue. The first Mayweather-Cotto fight was televised by HBO Pay-Per-View. If they fight again later this year, Showtime Pay-Per-View would televise it.
Top Rank Inc., Arum’s company, has promoted Cotto for most of his 14-year pro career and now works with the Puerto Rican star on a bout-by-bout basis. Top Rank would not be involved in a Cotto-Mayweather rematch, but Arum added that he understands why Cotto would pursue it.
“As far as Cotto is concerned, why wouldn’t he grab it?,” Arum said. “But I’m saying, who’s going to put up the money based on the economics, which were evident in the first Cotto-Mayweather fight and now are, if anything, less, although the bill is more? In other words, if Showtime/CBS said, ‘Well, Arum doesn’t know what he’s talking about. We’re happy to put up the money,’ hey, great. But they’re smart people. They’re not going to do it.”
oh hell nah! This is just too damn funny that I had to post it here. Now all of the sudden after 6 years these fags do not want it.
