Essential The Official Boxing Random Thoughts Thread...All boxing heads ENTER.
- Thread starter Jesus Is Lord
- Start date
krackdagawd
Inspire.
i don't think people realize how big this is, shyt is crazy. truly a power move for roc nation, this is the definition of a win-win situation for them and ward.
BET giving the people black excellence for free
Axum Ezana
Driving in the fast lane
Marvelous Marvin Hagler recalls “The War” with Thomas Hearns
Tom Gray
April 15, 2015
On Monday, April 15, 1985, Marvelous Marvin Hagler and Thomas “The Hitman” Hearns entered a temporary arena which had been erected outside Caesars Palace and the resulting collision, which lasted less than nine minutes, produced enough electricity to light up the Las Vegas Strip.
Rivalries in boxing are frequently connected to trilogies: Ali vs. Frazier, Leonard vs. Duran, Barrera vs. Morales or Gatti vs. Ward. Hagler defending his undisputed middleweight championship against the explosive Hearns was once in a lifetime sporting theatre and, ultimately, no sequel was required.
“I’d known of Tommy since he was an amateur,” Hagler, who was inducted in the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1993, told RingTV.com. “He turned pro, won the welterweight title (WBA version against Pipino Cuevas) and was very dangerous with that big right hand. Still, back then, we didn’t think of him as a potential opponent because I was concentrating on the middleweight division.
“A couple of years later Tommy suddenly felt that he could whip me. We were due to fight somewhere in Michigan in 1982 but he hurt his baby pinky and pulled out. After that, Tommy started following me around when I was making title defenses. It took a few years but finally we got together and that was exciting because Tommy had won a lot of big fights.”
One of those big fights was a WBC junior middleweight title defense against Roberto Duran, which ended in a pulverizing second-round knockout. These days the terminal, kick from a mule, right hand that Hearns unloaded on the legendary Panamanian would have had the majority of junior middleweight and middleweight champions running for the hills. Hagler, who had outpointed Duran seven months before Hearns knocked him cold, was not one bit fazed and couldn’t wait to silence his rival.
“I’d beaten up on Roberto Duran and you must understand, when I’m finished with a fighter they are never the same,” Hagler said. “Duran had been through a tough 15-round fight against me and took that fight with Hearns too early. I think I done Tommy a big favor by softening up Duran for him.”
When the opening bell sounded for Hagler versus Hearns, the challenger landed the rocket right hand almost immediately. The middleweight king, immune to pain, paused momentarily and then flew for the challenger’s throat like a devil dog.
Both gladiators were representing proud boxing cities; Hearns was swinging his punches from Detroit, Michigan, and Hagler from Brockton, Massachusetts.
In the space of three minutes, 165 punches were thrown. According to HBO, Hagler had connected on 50 of 82, Hearns on 56 of 83. The most vital factor, however, was that the defending champion was now walking through the Hearns right hand, which was actually broken during one of the exchanges.
“People talk about Tommy’s right hand but the hardest punch I ever took was from my mother,” Hagler said before releasing an infectious laugh. “Seriously, Tommy got through with a great right hand but that was good because I wanted him to be confident with that shot.
“Our solution was to come under the straight punches, get inside, and go to work. It wasn’t easy but the strategy was perfect. I was also cut in Round 1, maybe I hit my head on Tommy’s cup, but I felt no pain. I knew that eventually I would wear him down and he belonged to me. I ate up his right hands like Pac-Man.
“I had prepared myself for battle and my body was like armor.”
Hagler was indeed impregnable but the cut on the middle of his forehead was now a target for the slashing punches of “The Hitman”. The champion had won the first round on two of the three official scorecards, seemed to be on the ascendency in the second, but was pouring blood in Round 3 when referee Richard Steele intervened and took him to the ring doctor.
“I didn’t trust the referee from very early on in that fight,” said Hagler with disdain. “Steele knew that I had to get inside, because I’m the shorter guy, but he kept stepping in and would push me three feet back. I thought that was unfair because it gave Tommy more time and more room.
“I got nothing easy in my career and the only way to beat me was to steal it. I had to go to work on Tommy and end it there and then. I see my own blood – now you die!”
This killer instinct was born of frustration. In Hagler’s mind, he was never given enough respect and now he wanted Hearns’ head on a platter. The champion’s ambidextrous style had given “The Hitman” real problems from the start and it was almost fitting that the decisive finish was set up from a southpaw to orthodox switch.
Hagler said, “I never know whether I’m righty or lefty anyway. It’s a natural ability from God and when Tommy tried to escape off the ropes I got him with a big right hand from the right handed side. I got him and that’s all that I wanted to do was get the job done.
“I’m also happy that the referee didn’t let the fight go because nobody wants to see someone get hurt inside the ring. Fortunately, both of us got out of that fight without any serious injuries. In the heat of a battle like that bad things can happen and I’m glad Tommy was okay.”
There was no denying “The Marvelous One” when the fight was waved off at 1:52 of Round 3. All remaining critics crawled under the nearest rock and Hagler’s reputation as an all-time great middleweight was no longer a subject for debate.
“Larry Merchant at HBO would never give me the credit I was due,” Hagler said. “He would say I wasn’t a great champion because I hadn’t proved myself. After I knocked out Tommy I walked over to Larry and said ‘Okay, am I great or what?’ He said, ‘Well Marvelous, I can really say that you are a great champion.’ I said, thank you Larry, it’s about time.
“It was the highlight of my career and I do give Tommy credit for being the man he was that night. It takes two to tango and both of us made our mark in the history books. I speak to people all the time who say, champ I have the Hearns fight on my cellphone. I personally can’t believe it’s been 30 years, it all seems like yesterday.”
Hearns visited Hagler in his dressing room after the fight and acknowledged that he was beaten by the better man, and the mutual admiration between these two incredible prizefighters continues to endure to this day.
“I still see Tommy and we’ve done a lot of charity work together,” said Hagler, who resides in Milan, Italy. “He gives me the respect that I wanted from the beginning but in 1985 I wanted to smash his face. That’s the boxing game though and we needed that hate so we could put more wood in the fire.
“The bad blood brought out the best in us .We’d promoted the fight over 26 days and during that time there was a lot of animosity. I had to see Tommy’s face every single day and the way that I put it was; this fight is going to be war.
And that’s exactly what it was – War!
Almost four years ago, this reporter interviewed another great former middleweight champion by the name of Bernard Hopkins. When asked who he thought were the top three middleweights in boxing history he humbly stated: Sugar Ray Robinson, Marvelous Marvin Hagler and Carlos Monzon.
“I would say exactly the same,” laughed Hagler, when told of Hopkins’ top three at 160 pounds. “Outside of the middleweight division I believe Muhammad Ali is the greatest fighter of all time but after that it’s Sugar Ray Robinson.”
It’s amazing to think that Hagler only fought twice more following his career defining victory against Hearns. He scored an 11th round knockout of John Mugabi the following year and his final bout was a controversial split decision loss to career nemesis Sugar Ray Leonard, on April 6, 1987.
“The Marvelous One” had a final tally of 62-3-2 (52 knockouts) and the middleweight division has never been the same since he left it.
http://ringtv.craveonline.com/news/386235-marvelous-marvin-hagler-recalls-the-war-with-thomas-hearns
Tom Gray
April 15, 2015
On Monday, April 15, 1985, Marvelous Marvin Hagler and Thomas “The Hitman” Hearns entered a temporary arena which had been erected outside Caesars Palace and the resulting collision, which lasted less than nine minutes, produced enough electricity to light up the Las Vegas Strip.
Rivalries in boxing are frequently connected to trilogies: Ali vs. Frazier, Leonard vs. Duran, Barrera vs. Morales or Gatti vs. Ward. Hagler defending his undisputed middleweight championship against the explosive Hearns was once in a lifetime sporting theatre and, ultimately, no sequel was required.
“I’d known of Tommy since he was an amateur,” Hagler, who was inducted in the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1993, told RingTV.com. “He turned pro, won the welterweight title (WBA version against Pipino Cuevas) and was very dangerous with that big right hand. Still, back then, we didn’t think of him as a potential opponent because I was concentrating on the middleweight division.
“A couple of years later Tommy suddenly felt that he could whip me. We were due to fight somewhere in Michigan in 1982 but he hurt his baby pinky and pulled out. After that, Tommy started following me around when I was making title defenses. It took a few years but finally we got together and that was exciting because Tommy had won a lot of big fights.”
One of those big fights was a WBC junior middleweight title defense against Roberto Duran, which ended in a pulverizing second-round knockout. These days the terminal, kick from a mule, right hand that Hearns unloaded on the legendary Panamanian would have had the majority of junior middleweight and middleweight champions running for the hills. Hagler, who had outpointed Duran seven months before Hearns knocked him cold, was not one bit fazed and couldn’t wait to silence his rival.
“I’d beaten up on Roberto Duran and you must understand, when I’m finished with a fighter they are never the same,” Hagler said. “Duran had been through a tough 15-round fight against me and took that fight with Hearns too early. I think I done Tommy a big favor by softening up Duran for him.”
When the opening bell sounded for Hagler versus Hearns, the challenger landed the rocket right hand almost immediately. The middleweight king, immune to pain, paused momentarily and then flew for the challenger’s throat like a devil dog.
Both gladiators were representing proud boxing cities; Hearns was swinging his punches from Detroit, Michigan, and Hagler from Brockton, Massachusetts.
In the space of three minutes, 165 punches were thrown. According to HBO, Hagler had connected on 50 of 82, Hearns on 56 of 83. The most vital factor, however, was that the defending champion was now walking through the Hearns right hand, which was actually broken during one of the exchanges.
“People talk about Tommy’s right hand but the hardest punch I ever took was from my mother,” Hagler said before releasing an infectious laugh. “Seriously, Tommy got through with a great right hand but that was good because I wanted him to be confident with that shot.
“Our solution was to come under the straight punches, get inside, and go to work. It wasn’t easy but the strategy was perfect. I was also cut in Round 1, maybe I hit my head on Tommy’s cup, but I felt no pain. I knew that eventually I would wear him down and he belonged to me. I ate up his right hands like Pac-Man.
“I had prepared myself for battle and my body was like armor.”
Hagler was indeed impregnable but the cut on the middle of his forehead was now a target for the slashing punches of “The Hitman”. The champion had won the first round on two of the three official scorecards, seemed to be on the ascendency in the second, but was pouring blood in Round 3 when referee Richard Steele intervened and took him to the ring doctor.
“I didn’t trust the referee from very early on in that fight,” said Hagler with disdain. “Steele knew that I had to get inside, because I’m the shorter guy, but he kept stepping in and would push me three feet back. I thought that was unfair because it gave Tommy more time and more room.
“I got nothing easy in my career and the only way to beat me was to steal it. I had to go to work on Tommy and end it there and then. I see my own blood – now you die!”
This killer instinct was born of frustration. In Hagler’s mind, he was never given enough respect and now he wanted Hearns’ head on a platter. The champion’s ambidextrous style had given “The Hitman” real problems from the start and it was almost fitting that the decisive finish was set up from a southpaw to orthodox switch.
Hagler said, “I never know whether I’m righty or lefty anyway. It’s a natural ability from God and when Tommy tried to escape off the ropes I got him with a big right hand from the right handed side. I got him and that’s all that I wanted to do was get the job done.
“I’m also happy that the referee didn’t let the fight go because nobody wants to see someone get hurt inside the ring. Fortunately, both of us got out of that fight without any serious injuries. In the heat of a battle like that bad things can happen and I’m glad Tommy was okay.”
There was no denying “The Marvelous One” when the fight was waved off at 1:52 of Round 3. All remaining critics crawled under the nearest rock and Hagler’s reputation as an all-time great middleweight was no longer a subject for debate.
“Larry Merchant at HBO would never give me the credit I was due,” Hagler said. “He would say I wasn’t a great champion because I hadn’t proved myself. After I knocked out Tommy I walked over to Larry and said ‘Okay, am I great or what?’ He said, ‘Well Marvelous, I can really say that you are a great champion.’ I said, thank you Larry, it’s about time.
“It was the highlight of my career and I do give Tommy credit for being the man he was that night. It takes two to tango and both of us made our mark in the history books. I speak to people all the time who say, champ I have the Hearns fight on my cellphone. I personally can’t believe it’s been 30 years, it all seems like yesterday.”
Hearns visited Hagler in his dressing room after the fight and acknowledged that he was beaten by the better man, and the mutual admiration between these two incredible prizefighters continues to endure to this day.
“I still see Tommy and we’ve done a lot of charity work together,” said Hagler, who resides in Milan, Italy. “He gives me the respect that I wanted from the beginning but in 1985 I wanted to smash his face. That’s the boxing game though and we needed that hate so we could put more wood in the fire.
“The bad blood brought out the best in us .We’d promoted the fight over 26 days and during that time there was a lot of animosity. I had to see Tommy’s face every single day and the way that I put it was; this fight is going to be war.
And that’s exactly what it was – War!
Almost four years ago, this reporter interviewed another great former middleweight champion by the name of Bernard Hopkins. When asked who he thought were the top three middleweights in boxing history he humbly stated: Sugar Ray Robinson, Marvelous Marvin Hagler and Carlos Monzon.
“I would say exactly the same,” laughed Hagler, when told of Hopkins’ top three at 160 pounds. “Outside of the middleweight division I believe Muhammad Ali is the greatest fighter of all time but after that it’s Sugar Ray Robinson.”
It’s amazing to think that Hagler only fought twice more following his career defining victory against Hearns. He scored an 11th round knockout of John Mugabi the following year and his final bout was a controversial split decision loss to career nemesis Sugar Ray Leonard, on April 6, 1987.
“The Marvelous One” had a final tally of 62-3-2 (52 knockouts) and the middleweight division has never been the same since he left it.
http://ringtv.craveonline.com/news/386235-marvelous-marvin-hagler-recalls-the-war-with-thomas-hearns
ChocolateGiddyUp
Superstar
WBC making a Special Belt for the winner of Chavez Jr vs Fonfara :swagjccjr:
Amare's Right Hook
Southeast World Champion
TheBeigeBomber
#Fukkery
Fire article. That mugabi fight was something else too. That's my goat
mugabi was a fukking bomber and hagler ate them punches like tic tacs
The one who was massaging him with the curly black hair, or the older white lady with the blonde hair? The black haired one I'm not sure, the blonde one is the publicist and I love it when he goes off on her.Who's that white chick around Mayweather?
TheLukieBaby
Pro
Last edited:
mr heyzel
All Star
the boy was getting touch by frampton
mr heyzel
All Star
mr heyzel
All Star
Decent article on why PBC is a succes so far.
In the NBC Saturday prime time slot they are up an average of 190% in the 18-49 demo. NBC sports execs are apparently happy.
Al Haymon still pulling all the strings as boxing's unknown czar
One of the most familiar phrases in boxing news coverage these days is, "Al Haymon doesn't speak to the media."
Boxing is going through a renaissance of sorts, and Haymon is at the forefront of it. The owner of the Las Vegas-based Haymon Boxing, he created the Premier Boxing Champions series that has brought the sport back onto network television.
PBC cards are broadcast in prime time on NBC and also appear, or soon will, on CBS, Spike, ABC, ESPN, NBC Sports Network and CBS Sports Network. So far, the fights have been of high quality and have gotten better than expected ratings.
The PBC's debut in prime time on NBC on March 7 became the most-watched boxing telecast since an Oscar De La Hoya card on Fox in 1998. It averaged 3.4 million viewers, peaked at 4.2 million and, perhaps most significantly, won the coveted 18-to-49-year-old demographic on broadcast television.
The second NBC prime time show, on Saturday from Brooklyn, was also a success, though not as overwhelming as the original show. It finished second on network television behind a NASCAR race on Fox in the 18-49 demographic.
It averaged 2.9 million viewers and peaked at 3.4 million. According to NBC, ratings were up 162 percent overall and 190 percent in the 18-49 demographic compared to the afternoon series that was on NBC from 2012-2014.
The PBC on NBC is 54 percent ahead of the rest of broadcast television in the 18-49 demographic for its two shows.
"Just to even be in the conversation with a property like NASCAR is incredible for us," said Lou Ferrer, the director of programming acquisitions for NBC Sports.
Yet some fellow promoters blast Haymon's efforts. Media has dogged him for his "time buys," as if something were wrong with putting quality fights on free broadcast television. Fans, particularly the hard-core ones, have blamed him for virtually every problem facing the sport.
UFC president Dana White, though, raved about what Haymon has done. White said the fact that Haymon raised money and is using it to put on high-quality events demonstrates an interest in the long-term future of the sport.
White has long been critical of boxing promoters for what he said has been siphoning off profits and not investing back into the business. He also criticized them for the lack of in-arena experience and said many of their "new" ideas were simply stolen from what the UFC has done.
Haymon raised a reported $100 million to fund the PBC, which White thinks is an example of desperately needed unconventional thinking in boxing.
"The product hasn't changed much at all for years and all of these [promoters] have taken and taken and not put a penny back into growing the business," White said. "I think what Haymon is doing is fantastic. He's done a few things I wouldn't do, but I don't want to criticize him because he's investing in the business and planning for growth."
Haymon advises more than 150 boxers, who in the ring after their fights on television routinely and almost comically thank God and then Haymon for their success. A popular meme among boxing fans is the hashtag #ThankYouAlHaymon.
The most prominent of his fighters is Floyd Mayweather, and Haymon's business savvy and shrewd advice played a large role in Mayweather's rise to iconic status in his sport.
Mayweather fights Manny Pacquiao on May 2 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas in a bout in which both men will make in excess of $100 million.
But Haymon is perceived to be the man behind the curtain even by those most closely involved. Top Rank CEO Bob Arum, who promotes Pacquiao, has been irate because a contract has not been completed with the MGM to host the Mayweather-Pacquiao bout.
He suggests that it is Haymon behind the strings manipulating things, causing the delays.
"This whole thing is a ticket play by Haymon," Arum said of the fact that tickets are still not on sale and a contract with the MGM is not finished despite the fight being less than three weeks away.
Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe, though, insists Arum is mistaken and said that Haymon has nothing to do with when tickets go on sale, the MGM contract or any of a myriad of other issues between the two companies promoting the fight.
Those are all his jobs as CEO of Mayweather Promotions, and Haymon is not involved in them. Ellerbe is clearly devoted to Mayweather and has given nearly 20 years of his life to growing Mayweather's brand as well as his company.
Haymon's involvement with Mayweather Promotions is routinely portrayed incorrectly in the media, Ellerbe said.
"Al doesn't have a thing to do with this company," Ellerbe said. "He's Floyd's adviser. He has done a great job advising Floyd, as he has done a great job helping a lot of other fighters, as well. He's the best at getting guys the most [money].
"But I'm the one running Mayweather Promotions. He's not involved in it. I was in [MGM executive] Richard Sturm's office for six hours last week, not Al."
Haymon, who has an economics degree from Harvard, is a polite and agreeable sort whose business strategy includes never speaking to the media.
There is a sense of paranoia around his employees when they engage with the media. They're not allowed to discuss even the most minute of details without first checking with the boss.
His mysterious ways have led to many incomplete or inaccurate portrayals of him, those close to him say.
And he's an easy target for some media members to attack since he doesn't fire back. He doesn't speak publicly when he's happy and he doesn't speak publicly when he's angry.
When he chose not to speak to the media to explain his vision for the PBC and for returning boxing to prominence via network television, it allowed some of his competitors to chip away at him.
Both Top Rank president Todd duBoef and Main Events CEO Kathy Duva blasted Haymon for the time buys.
They have argued strenuously that Haymon is making it difficult, if not impossible, for other promoters to operate by what they believe is giving the product away.
Buying the airtime instead of having a network pay a rights fee to acquire it will have a chilling affect on the industry, they said. No matter the success of the PBC, they insist, networks will no longer be willing to pay for boxing if there is someone like Haymon willing to give it away.
However, it should be noted that Top Rank landed a deal with cable outlet TruTV after the PBC had debuted.
One source with knowledge of Haymon's operation spoke with Yahoo Sports on the guarantee of anonymity because he's not authorized to speak to media. He said that even if networks won't buy fights in the future, there is essentially no difference between obtaining the money from investors or obtaining it from a television network. The fights will still go on, the fighters will be paid and tickets will still be sold.
Promoter Lou DiBella called himself thrilled with his first effort at promoting a PBC show. He promoted the doubleheader on NBC in Brooklyn on Saturday, which drew a little more than 12,000 fans with a $1 million paid gate.
The ratings were good, which is the case for all PBC shows. Spike's first effort, on March 13, more than doubled the ratings ESPN2 usually gets in that same time slot on a Friday night.
CBS showed a bout on a Saturday noon on April 4, attracting 1.3 million viewers, which is roughly the audience a very successful HBO card would get in prime time.
"It attracted a much younger audience and did well with a demographic that had been said had tuned out boxing," DiBella said. "In both of the shows [in prime time on NBC] to this point, the demo has done very well."
Haymon, of course, isn't available to talk about it. Or to talk about the Mayweather fight. Or to talk about anything else going on in boxing.
He's the most powerful man in the sport, but he's not going to share his thoughts with the public for any reason. Every scrap of information he provides is on a need-to-know basis only. The president of the United States is more accountable than Haymon.
Ferrer, though, isn't complaining. Known as Luis Barragan when he was an executive at HBO Sports, Ferrer said the PBC is clearly a viable property for NBC.
"Every way you could possibly look at this, the raw numbers, the key demographics, whatever, the PBC is an unmitigated success," Ferrer said. " … This is a real, powerful property for us, no question about it."
Boxing is in the midst of a rebirth, and Haymon has played a large role in it.
Just don't expect to hear a word from him about it.
In the NBC Saturday prime time slot they are up an average of 190% in the 18-49 demo. NBC sports execs are apparently happy.
Al Haymon still pulling all the strings as boxing's unknown czar
One of the most familiar phrases in boxing news coverage these days is, "Al Haymon doesn't speak to the media."
Boxing is going through a renaissance of sorts, and Haymon is at the forefront of it. The owner of the Las Vegas-based Haymon Boxing, he created the Premier Boxing Champions series that has brought the sport back onto network television.
PBC cards are broadcast in prime time on NBC and also appear, or soon will, on CBS, Spike, ABC, ESPN, NBC Sports Network and CBS Sports Network. So far, the fights have been of high quality and have gotten better than expected ratings.
The PBC's debut in prime time on NBC on March 7 became the most-watched boxing telecast since an Oscar De La Hoya card on Fox in 1998. It averaged 3.4 million viewers, peaked at 4.2 million and, perhaps most significantly, won the coveted 18-to-49-year-old demographic on broadcast television.
The second NBC prime time show, on Saturday from Brooklyn, was also a success, though not as overwhelming as the original show. It finished second on network television behind a NASCAR race on Fox in the 18-49 demographic.
It averaged 2.9 million viewers and peaked at 3.4 million. According to NBC, ratings were up 162 percent overall and 190 percent in the 18-49 demographic compared to the afternoon series that was on NBC from 2012-2014.
The PBC on NBC is 54 percent ahead of the rest of broadcast television in the 18-49 demographic for its two shows.
"Just to even be in the conversation with a property like NASCAR is incredible for us," said Lou Ferrer, the director of programming acquisitions for NBC Sports.
Yet some fellow promoters blast Haymon's efforts. Media has dogged him for his "time buys," as if something were wrong with putting quality fights on free broadcast television. Fans, particularly the hard-core ones, have blamed him for virtually every problem facing the sport.
UFC president Dana White, though, raved about what Haymon has done. White said the fact that Haymon raised money and is using it to put on high-quality events demonstrates an interest in the long-term future of the sport.
White has long been critical of boxing promoters for what he said has been siphoning off profits and not investing back into the business. He also criticized them for the lack of in-arena experience and said many of their "new" ideas were simply stolen from what the UFC has done.
Haymon raised a reported $100 million to fund the PBC, which White thinks is an example of desperately needed unconventional thinking in boxing.
"The product hasn't changed much at all for years and all of these [promoters] have taken and taken and not put a penny back into growing the business," White said. "I think what Haymon is doing is fantastic. He's done a few things I wouldn't do, but I don't want to criticize him because he's investing in the business and planning for growth."
Haymon advises more than 150 boxers, who in the ring after their fights on television routinely and almost comically thank God and then Haymon for their success. A popular meme among boxing fans is the hashtag #ThankYouAlHaymon.
The most prominent of his fighters is Floyd Mayweather, and Haymon's business savvy and shrewd advice played a large role in Mayweather's rise to iconic status in his sport.
Mayweather fights Manny Pacquiao on May 2 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas in a bout in which both men will make in excess of $100 million.
But Haymon is perceived to be the man behind the curtain even by those most closely involved. Top Rank CEO Bob Arum, who promotes Pacquiao, has been irate because a contract has not been completed with the MGM to host the Mayweather-Pacquiao bout.
He suggests that it is Haymon behind the strings manipulating things, causing the delays.
"This whole thing is a ticket play by Haymon," Arum said of the fact that tickets are still not on sale and a contract with the MGM is not finished despite the fight being less than three weeks away.
Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe, though, insists Arum is mistaken and said that Haymon has nothing to do with when tickets go on sale, the MGM contract or any of a myriad of other issues between the two companies promoting the fight.
Those are all his jobs as CEO of Mayweather Promotions, and Haymon is not involved in them. Ellerbe is clearly devoted to Mayweather and has given nearly 20 years of his life to growing Mayweather's brand as well as his company.
Haymon's involvement with Mayweather Promotions is routinely portrayed incorrectly in the media, Ellerbe said.
"Al doesn't have a thing to do with this company," Ellerbe said. "He's Floyd's adviser. He has done a great job advising Floyd, as he has done a great job helping a lot of other fighters, as well. He's the best at getting guys the most [money].
"But I'm the one running Mayweather Promotions. He's not involved in it. I was in [MGM executive] Richard Sturm's office for six hours last week, not Al."
Haymon, who has an economics degree from Harvard, is a polite and agreeable sort whose business strategy includes never speaking to the media.
There is a sense of paranoia around his employees when they engage with the media. They're not allowed to discuss even the most minute of details without first checking with the boss.
His mysterious ways have led to many incomplete or inaccurate portrayals of him, those close to him say.
And he's an easy target for some media members to attack since he doesn't fire back. He doesn't speak publicly when he's happy and he doesn't speak publicly when he's angry.
When he chose not to speak to the media to explain his vision for the PBC and for returning boxing to prominence via network television, it allowed some of his competitors to chip away at him.
Both Top Rank president Todd duBoef and Main Events CEO Kathy Duva blasted Haymon for the time buys.
They have argued strenuously that Haymon is making it difficult, if not impossible, for other promoters to operate by what they believe is giving the product away.
Buying the airtime instead of having a network pay a rights fee to acquire it will have a chilling affect on the industry, they said. No matter the success of the PBC, they insist, networks will no longer be willing to pay for boxing if there is someone like Haymon willing to give it away.
However, it should be noted that Top Rank landed a deal with cable outlet TruTV after the PBC had debuted.
One source with knowledge of Haymon's operation spoke with Yahoo Sports on the guarantee of anonymity because he's not authorized to speak to media. He said that even if networks won't buy fights in the future, there is essentially no difference between obtaining the money from investors or obtaining it from a television network. The fights will still go on, the fighters will be paid and tickets will still be sold.
Promoter Lou DiBella called himself thrilled with his first effort at promoting a PBC show. He promoted the doubleheader on NBC in Brooklyn on Saturday, which drew a little more than 12,000 fans with a $1 million paid gate.
The ratings were good, which is the case for all PBC shows. Spike's first effort, on March 13, more than doubled the ratings ESPN2 usually gets in that same time slot on a Friday night.
CBS showed a bout on a Saturday noon on April 4, attracting 1.3 million viewers, which is roughly the audience a very successful HBO card would get in prime time.
"It attracted a much younger audience and did well with a demographic that had been said had tuned out boxing," DiBella said. "In both of the shows [in prime time on NBC] to this point, the demo has done very well."
Haymon, of course, isn't available to talk about it. Or to talk about the Mayweather fight. Or to talk about anything else going on in boxing.
He's the most powerful man in the sport, but he's not going to share his thoughts with the public for any reason. Every scrap of information he provides is on a need-to-know basis only. The president of the United States is more accountable than Haymon.
Ferrer, though, isn't complaining. Known as Luis Barragan when he was an executive at HBO Sports, Ferrer said the PBC is clearly a viable property for NBC.
"Every way you could possibly look at this, the raw numbers, the key demographics, whatever, the PBC is an unmitigated success," Ferrer said. " … This is a real, powerful property for us, no question about it."
Boxing is in the midst of a rebirth, and Haymon has played a large role in it.
Just don't expect to hear a word from him about it.