‘Currently negotiating a streaming deal’: Arum talks Top Rank’s future and more
Although Top Rank will no longer be on ESPN, Bob Arum still expects his product to be widely available.
Top Rank promoter Bob Arum spent some time talking to Fight Hub TV about the future of his Top Rank company now that they’re no longer on ESPN before touching on his thoughts on a number of different recent fights that have taken place. Here’s what Arum had to say below.
Arum on what Top Rank’s plans are now that their ESPN deal has run its course
“Well we understood that going forward that the future of television was in streaming and we are currently negotiating a streaming deal and also, you know, we’ll still have a presence on over-the-air television and I think our schedule going forward will be very, very robust.
“While negotiations are going on you’re better off not saying who, because we’re talking with everybody, but it’s not to say who you’re really favoring going forward until a deal is struck.”
On the Pacquiao vs Barrios draw
“I think a good result was the draw. I mean, I was scoring it, I couldn’t make the fight but I watched it from home and I had Manny winning six out of the first nine rounds and then I had the other guy winning the last three to make it a draw, like most of the judges had it. One judge had it 5-4 for Manny after nine rounds and therefore he gave the fight to Barrios. But it was that kind of fight but be that as it may, you have to give tremendous credit to Manny, at his age, for him to perform the way he did against a much younger man.”
On what he thinks of Pacquiao in a fight against Rolly Romero
“Again, I think Manny would be competitive with any of those people and I think Romero, who is less of a boxer than this guy that Manny just fought, would be ideal for Manny and I give Manny a good chance to win against Romero.”
On Berlanga getting sparked out by Sheeraz
“Edgar has — it’s one thing to push an image for publicity purposes, it’s another thing to be captured by that image [and believe] it’s real. And somehow Berlanga looked at himself as being this invincible fighter that would be able to destroy everyone and when you look back at his career there was no real reason, justification for him to feel that way. So he got shown up by a very good fighter and he lost that fight. That doesn’t mean he still doesn’t have some good fights in him but he realizes, I think — unless he’s completely delusional — that he’s not Superman.”
On Shakur Stevenson’s performance against William Zepeda
“Shakur is one of the best fighters around. People say he’s a technician but he’s more than just a technician, he’s a great fighter and he’s a fighter that as the years go on, as the fights pile up, people will realize he’s extremely difficult to beat. So I wasn’t surprised at that fight and how it went because I’ve always been very high on Shakur and his ability and I think he’s, as long as he has no problem making weight, he will dominate the lightweight division for years to come.”