Will Bob Arum lift the Pavlik-Abraham embargo now?

“I know what people want and they can go [expletive] themselves,” Arum said with great exuberance. “I want to wait and build this to be the biggest featherweight fight of all time. It’s my job as a promoter to do that. When they fight, they’ll fight to be best featherweight in the world. I want to see those two clean out the division and I don’t want to see them rush to fight each other. There’s no way I want to rush and do this.” Bob Arum to The Ring

 

You see Hermit, THIS is making **** up. What difference REALITY makes!

"I want to thank America for this big chance. Thank you, America," Abraham said. "I wish for one chance to fight Oscar De La Hoya and one chance to fight Kelly Pavlik. I like America. The American people are very nice people and I come again"

 

"Last spring we picked up negotiations with Top Rank," Sauerland said. "We have also been in constant touch with HBO and Showtime. However, in the last couple of months Top Rank seemed to have lost their interest in a unification."

Dan Rafael: Arum said that to make the Abraham fight viable, he needs to be built up blah blah blah blah blah.

When I was in New York last weekend to cover the Miguel Cotto-Michael Jennings welterweight title bout, I ran into Don Majeski, an old school boxing guy who works closely with Sauerland.

Majeski said that Abraham and his team were ready, willing and able to come to the U.S. after the Simon bout. He said Abraham and Sauerland agreed with Arum that the Abraham needed to built up to the American public before facing Pavlik. Majeski said Abraham was willing to fight anyone the network involved in a potential Pavlik-Abraham fight wanted. I asked him if they would fight the winner of the Paul Williams-Winky Wright fight and Majeski couldn't say "yes" fast enough.

"We are ready to fight Pavlik at any time and absolutely everywhere," Sauerland said. "Arthur would even come to his home town. If Pavlik and his people are really interested in coming to Germany, they should let us know officially. We would be more than happy to make an attractive offer."

 

Wait, I'm gonna have to check my bank account...

... it's pretty empty, so I'm neither. Are you Mike Pavlik?

"Pavlik promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank told me the other day that he's planning for Pavlik's next defense in late June or July in Cleveland, which is about an hour from Youngstown.

Abraham is conspicuously absent from the list of potential opponents. The opponents Arum listed for me were, in no particular order, ... Vernon Forrest ... Sergio Mora, ... John Duddy ... and Felix Sturm. But there was scarcely a mention of Abraham from Arum until I pressed him on it."


Does it look like Arum was trying hard to make the Abraham fight?