TOP Rank chief Bob Arum brushed off John Riel Casimero’s taunt saying he just couldn’t afford to hold a unification fight between the reigning Filipino World Boxing Organization (WBO) bantamweight champion and Japanese unified titleholder Naoya Inoue during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“So who is going to pay for it without the [live] gates? I cannot afford that fight—Casimero and Inoue—inside the bubble, I just can’t [pay for it],” Arum, who turns 89 on December 8, told BusinessMirror in a phone interview on Tuesday from his Las Vegas home.
Arum said he couldn’t waste money for a big unification bout in a bubble.
“They really need spectators who would watch [live] and pay for the fight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas to get good revenues,” he said.
“I can’t keep doing these fights during the pandemic where I can’t get spectators although MGM wants to do the next Inoue fight,” Arum added. “They want to do it to bring in tourists and wealthy gamblers from Japan, but can’t do that while pandemic is on.”
Arum said the 31-year-old Casimero (30-4 win-loss record with 21 knockouts) should be patient because he was already asked by Inoue’s camp to get the Japanese an opponent next year. Inoue holds both the International Boxing Federation (IBF) and World Boxing Association (WBA) bantamweight belts.
Casimero, who beat challenger Duke Micah last September 26 via third round technical knockout in Connecticut, has been taunting Inoue (20-0 with 17 knockouts) and Arum, and even dragged fellow Filipino IBF super flyweight champion Jerwin Ancajas in a social-media post last Monday.
But Arum, an international promoter for six decades, doesn’t get affected any form of criticism.
“It happens all the time, I don’t pay attention, and nobody else pay attention,” said Arum, adding it was the pandemic that cancelled that fight last April 25 in Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas and not them.
“That’s unfortunate, but you know he should be patient. When Inoue fights next year, Casimero is right there. They already mentioned Casimero and I think he will be next,” he said.
8 comments
It’s the most honest statement I’ve heared from Mr. Arum. He is really thinking of big money proceeds from Inoue-Casimero fight because for sure it will attract moneyed Japanese tourist to come to Las Vegas to watch the fight. It would be a very exciting fight and Arum will not have a hard time to sell it in the US. Aside from Top Rank, MP promotion under Manny Pacquiao who handles Casimero will also be involved in the promotion. We know that Manny is also known not only in the US but in the whole world. Boxing fans in US and Japan are enough to generate more money that could make the fight financially successfull not only for Arum but also for Casimero. Maybe that is what Arum has in his head. On the part of Casimero as Arum has said, should just be patient. And for me, the most important thing for Casimero is to prepare himself for a big fight in the future of his career, hoping it will be his biggest financial rewards in his boxing career.
Sana mananalo si quadro alas sa laban vs japanese kasi pag natatalo siya malaking kahiyaan.
Remember the fight before of mayweather vs manny pac kong saan limang taon hinahamon ni pac si mayweather sa laban piro siya ang natatalo…
Sana hindi matulad si john riel cas.. Malaking kahiyaan
Mayabang tong kababayan natin. Nag-ala Mayweather ang angas nito. He has a great punching power but skill wise, he is still raw. He goes berserk and wild. Inoue will capitalize this weakness and would break him and knock him out. I’m sure of it. I’ll eat my words..
You just can’t expect any person to be humble all the time. I know we all set our standards with our great manny but you just can’t expect anyone to follow the same path. Sometimes or most of the time, bragging is a strategy to sell fights and of course casimero earned all the rights to do it because of what he have done in his career. By doing so, he earned a lot of publicity..bad or good it’s still a publicity and i do think that the handler’s of casimero pretty knows it well and maybe this is what they really want for casimero to do.. it’s very obvious because boxing is a big business..for the people who hates casimero’s attitude, think well and widened your thoughts..after all, you are the one who has a very bad attitude when you side up to the man who is from the other race..when casimero wins i am pretty sure you will be all proud of him too
Casimero is casimero,that’s how his style is .Because of that kind of personality ,he sells.I think casimero has a big chance to win because of his awkward style .Be better for Inue to be very careful not to stay in the front of Casimero oherwise he will get a devastating body shot.
LET’S GET THEM TO RUMBLEEEEEEEEEEE……………
casimero is the most exciting fighter outside manny in the philippines. whatever makes him, lets just just be supportive as a filipino. in the world of professional boxing remember that you can’t be as popular as casimero on mouth alone, you got to back it up with ability and achievement. thats what jhonriel has both. thats why he earns media attention especially on performances in his last two fights held in UK and US
Inaabangan ko talaga to. Sana matuloy next year!