Ask any hardcore Pacquiao fan and they'll tell you Pacquiao is shot (disagree but whatever). My personal opinion, with Pacquiao's "distractions" over the years, I don't believe his heart is truly in the game anymore. Whether Roach has adjusted his style after the KO-loss or Pacquiao just lacks the passion, it's clear to anyone with eyes and an ounce of boxing knowledge, he's lost his killer instinct. You could argue he's shot but you probably deserve to be shot for doing so. Now onto Arum, the man lacks a true PPV star at the moment and is working around the clock to build Lomachenko and Crawford into one. I won't criticize Arum's business decisions for one very important reason: he's been in this business for decades and you don't stick around this long if you're a buffoon. But without a current super star in his stable it raises the question: Is he imploring Pacquiao to stick around passed his expiration date? We were told this will be Pac's last ride, but after Arum says he's not sure, now Pacquiao says he's not sure. Coincidence? With Pacquiao's political responsibilities in the Phillipines, financial stability, family and health to take care of, what more is he fighting for? For pride? For honor? For his people? He's accomplished more than most could even dream to accomplish. IMO, behind the scenes, Arum is convincing Pacquiao to stick around until he finds a suitable replacement. One more fight? Two more fights? Time will tell. Either way, Pac has nothing left to prove, so why stick around past Bradley III?
top rank are fine, bob made a smart decision after the last olmypics and signed tons of prospects he has the likes of jesse hart,egor mekhontsev,oleksandr gvodsyk,ryoto murata,ponomarev,felix verdejo. who will all be near the top soon lomachenko and crawford who are already making a huge mark on boxing gilberto ramirez,jose ramirez,oscar valdez, jesse vargas for the mexican market, oscar valdez could be the biggest mexican star of this generation bob is doing fine, he signed good prospects and over the enxt few years he will reap the rewards
Arum has been very lucky to have Pac without him he would of been screwed and is seeing how hard it would be without him
I think TR will be fine too, I figured he's milking Pac just a tad longer, until his other potential stars reach a particular point.
Bob's concern at this point is the competition, Top Rank has always been known as a great developer of talents almost from scratch, so they have a lot of fighters in their fold just waiting to be developed to superstar status. But to wield the so-called big stick in negotiations with networks, managers, fighters and fellow promoters one has to have a trump card, the flagship aircraft carrier-type fighter in their fold. It's what gives these guys the leverage. Haymon had Floyd and used his name to accumulate the influence and clout to be where he is at this point. Bob had dela Hoya, Floyd, and then Pacquiao. GBP now has Canelo. Even with his diminishing pull, Pacquiao is still a considerable negotiating piece that can be dangled as a threat or reward to networks, promoters and fighters. If Pacman retires, what does Bob have in backroom negotiations to counterweigh for example, Golden Boy's Canelo? Crawford, Loma still aren't in that level so in effect Arum will be saddled in every negotiation he enters just because he does not have a trump card that could match a Canelo. So yes, I think Bob would like Manny to stay a little while longer, until Top Rank manages to elevate someone to near-flagship status, or at least near the level of other promoters' top fighters.
