Latest news with #BobArum
The Independent
19 hours ago
- Sport
- The Independent
Manny Pacquiao's ex-promoter Bob Arum drops verdict on comeback fight
Bob Arum has hailed Manny Pacquiao for his performance in his comeback fight against Mario Barrios earlier this month. Pacquiao returned from a four-year hiatus at the age of 46 to draw with a man 16 years his junior in Barrios in their WBC welterweight title fight in Las Vegas. Arum was not involved in the event after promoting Pacquiao for the majority of his career but did keep a close eye on how the fight played out. He was impressed by Pacquiao's display after having concerns about the Filipino legend performing a retirement U-turn. Arum told The Ring: 'I was very surprised. 'I thought it was remarkable. He looked like, truth be told, the fresher fighter in the ring. The other guy, the only thing he showed was a very good jab. He didn't show anything else. 'But Manny showed a lot of activity, jumping around and everything, and he looked like a fresh fighter. He didn't look like a 46-year-old guy who hasn't fought in four years.' There has been plenty of debate over the scoring in the aftermath of the fight, with many feeling Pacquiao should have been declared the winner. None of the judges scored the bout in his favour, with two having it level at 114-114, while the other had Barrios a 115-113 winner. Arum has no complaints with the scorecards, admitting that Pacquiao running out of steam in the championship rounds cost him dearly. 'I had Manny winning six rounds to three after the first nine rounds,' Arum added. 'And then I agreed with the judges that he lost the last three rounds. 'When the fight was over, I said it was probably a draw. But I could see the first nine rounds being 6-3, I could see it being 5-4 like one judge had it, and I could see it being 7-2. It looked like it was Manny's fight going into the last three rounds. DAZN is the home of combat sports, broadcasting over 185 fights a year from the world's best promoters, including Matchroom, Queensberry, Golden Boy, Misfits, PFL, BKFC, GLORY and more. An Annual Saver subscription is a one-off cost of £119.99 / $224.99 (for 12 months access), that's just 64p / $1.21 per fight. There is also a Monthly Flex Pass option (cancel any time) at £24.99 / $29.99 per month. A subscription includes weekly magazine shows, comprehensive fight library, exclusive interviews, behind-the-scenes documentaries, and podcasts and vodcasts.
The Independent
26-06-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
The five fights that defined Oscar De La Hoya
He is most prominent now as a promoter, but twenty years ago Oscar De La Hoya was the largest name in boxing. His popularity was so that he even, by any metric, outshone the heavyweight champion of the world when it came to attention. De La Hoya came into the professional side in 1992 with an infectious smile, an Olympic gold medal, and the backing of super-promoter Bob Arum. He left it sixteen years later with a record of 39-6 (30), multiple world championships, and more money than one could ever hope to finish counting. There was nobody in any of the divisions that the Golden Boy fought in that whom he avoided. For a fighter so beloved and so valuable, many of the bouts he went into carried a heavy load of risk. De La Hoya vs. Julio Cesar Chavez, 1996 It was Mexican against Mexican-American in this clash in Las Vegas. Chavez, considered to be the greatest-ever Mexican boxer, had a record of 97-1-1 (79), but was considered past his best. The question was whether De La Hoya, 21-0 (19), was up to the task of beating whatever was left of Chavez. It took just four rounds. Cutting Chavez in the first round, then breaking his nose, De La Hoya won the fight when the ringside doctor advised that his opponent was in no state to continue. Two years later, De La Hoya stopped Chavez again, this time in eight. De La Hoya vs. Felix Trinidad, 1999 It was Mexico against Puerto Rico. And while both men could box, they were also renown for throwing left hooks. Meeting on the Las Vegas strip, De La Hoya came in with a 31-0 (25) record, while Trinidad entered the ring with a 35-0 (30) slate. It was De La Hoya who seemed to have the better of it through the twelve rounds the fight lasted, but then he removed his foot from the pedal in the final stretch, allowing Trinidad to move back into the scoring. The majority decision for Trinidad was controversial, but no rematch was ever made. De La Hoya vs. Bernard Hopkins, 2004 While De La Hoya had picked up the WBO middleweight title by outpointing Felix Sturm (in a fight that Sturm maintains to this day that he won), the recognised ruler at 160lbs in 2004 was Bernard Hopkins, 44-2-1 (31). De La Hoya, meanwhile, had seen his career ebb and flow, his record then standing at 37-3 (29). Though the pair became business partners later, the match between the two was all business. Hopkins gradually broke De La Hoya apart after a few promising rounds for the Mexican-American, then finished him with a hook to the body in the ninth round. If anything marked the beginning of the end of De La Hoya's career, it was this one. De La Hoya vs. Floyd Mayweather, 2007 It was a fight between the past and the future in 2007 when De La Hoya, then 38-4 (3), began to ride into the sunset with a loss to Mayweather, 37-0 (24). Despite being ruled a split decision, Mayweather won handily and, like the fight against Trinidad, there were no serious calls for a rematch. De La Hoya vs. Pacquiao, 2008 The only thing that is constant is the passage of time. It seemed when this fight was announced in 2008 that even De La Hoya was admitting this, attempting cynically to win a welterweight title against a much-undersized opponent in Manny Pacquiao, 47-3-2 (35). Coming down around ten pounds from his previous fight, De La Hoya struggled so much at the weight that Pacquiao's coach Freddie Roach later said he thought that an IV was being used to rehydrate De La Hoya up until the moment he walked to the ring. Roach told Pacquiao to jump straight on De La Hoya, which he did. After eight rounds, the fight was over with the Golden Boy pulling out while sitting on his seat. His ploy to beat Pacquiao had failed and, after sixteen years, De La Hoya's career came to its end. Honourable mentions
The Sun
08-06-2025
- Sport
- The Sun
Boxer Ryosuke Nishida pulled out of title fight after suffering grotesquely swollen eye against Junto Nakatani
RYOSUKE NISHIDA was pulled out of his title fight against Junto Nakatani after suffering a grotesquely swollen eye. Nishida put his IBF bantamweight title on the line against WBA champion Nakatani in Tokyo. 4 But after just six rounds, the thudding left hands and uppercuts from Nakatani proved too much for Nishida. Halfway through the bout, Nishida's eye was swollen shut to leave the doctor with no choice but to pull him out. Three-weight champ Nakatani said: 'Ever since I was at flyweight, I wanted to unify the titles. 'Finally at bantamweight, I received my first opportunity and I am very happy with the result.' Japan's unified super-bantamweight king Naoya Inoue was ringside to watch Nakatani's dominance. And a blockbuster between the country's two biggest stars is now being touted. Nakatani said: 'I am coming, so please stick around for me." Inoue's promoter Bob Arum previously stated the fight - eyed for May 2026 - could be as big as Canelo Alvarez vs Terence Crawford. Arum said: 'A lot of people say Nakatani is the guy that could beat Inoue. That's why it's such a big fight. That's a real, real fight. "People who really know and follow those lower weight divisions, they think that's as interesting a fight, if not more so, than Canelo and Crawford. "And it'll be the biggest fight ever in the history of Japan.' 4 4
Forbes
05-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Vasyl Lomachenko Announces His Retirement From Boxing
On Thursday, 37-year-old IBF lightweight champion and future Hall-of-Famer Vasyl Lomachenko officially announced his retirement from boxing. He leaves the pro ranks with an 18-3, 12 KOs record, but an amateur mark that was an unfathomable 396-1. Lomachenko will vacate the IBF strap, and the governing body will likely push for a bout to settle their title in the next few months. Loma's promoter, Bob Arum of Top Rank posted a tribute to him on X. Lomachenko turned pro in 2013, and he could have elected to fight tomato cans to pad his record, but he didn't. The masterful Ukrainian southpaw went directly into world-title contention from Olympic glory in a way that we've rarely seen. After winning two Olympic golds in two different weight classes, he came to the pro ranks with hoopla and a target on his back. Loma quickly validated the hype as he tore through competition from the outset. By his third pro fight, he was a world champion at featherweight. By his seventh, he won a title in a second division. And for most of the next five years, Lomachenko made elite fighters quit—literally. 'No Más Chenko' earned his filthy nickname by making opponents like Nicholas Walters, Guillermo Rigondeaux, and Jason Sosa decide mid-fight that it wasn't worth continuing. Lomachenko, who was trained in classical dance to augment his footwork, was among the most graceful fighters of his era. But as dazzling as his footwork, angles, and punch selection were, the timeline was always against him for a long pro career. Lomachenko didn't turn pro until he was nearly 26. Completely aware of his timeline, he moved through divisions fast, chasing history and world titles. Unfortunately, injuries—especially to his right shoulder—began to catch up. Lomachenko's loss to Teofimo Lopez in 2020, after a year of inactivity during the pandemic, marked a turning point. He waited too long to flip the switch in that fight. The younger, bigger Lopez banked early rounds and held on to claim the victory. After that, Loma recovered and had noteworthy success, even though some of the aura was gone. He stopped Masayoshi Nakatani and defeated Richard Commey convincingly on points. He recovered from a slow start against Jamaine Ortiz to earn a win. But the big goal—undisputed lightweight glory—slipped through his fingers in a razor-close loss to Devin Haney in May 2023. Many believed he deserved the nod that night, but the judges didn't see it his way. Lomachenko rebounded again with one of his best performances in years against George Kambosos Jr., dismantling the Aussie and claiming the IBF title at 135. It was a retirement fight disguised as a bounce-back. While he didn't make the decision immediately and he entertained the thought of a fight with Gervonta Davis, that win allowed him to leave the sport with something in hand. Lomachenko's decision to step away comes with a full résumé. Two Olympic gold medals. Four world titles in three divisions. It's good to see a fighter leave the sport on his terms. If you're wondering who will fight for the vacant title, it makes sense for the winner of No. 3 Andy Cruz and No. 5 Hiroshi Mishiro to face No. 4 Mark Magsayo for the vacant title later this year.
The Sun
30-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Jake Paul is ‘not a boxer' and Tommy Fury ‘can't fight' says legendary promoter Bob Arum is sensational double blast
LEGENDARY promoter Bob Arum let out a scathing double blast of Jake Paul and Tommy Fury. Arum was not a fan of Paul's recent points win against Mike Tyson, who controversially came out of retirement aged 58. 3 Over 100 MILLION tuned in to watch on Netflix, but now Paul returns on June 28 against ex-middleweight world champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. Chavez - son of the legendary Julio Cesar Sr - has suffered problems outside the ring with substance abuse and lack of commitment. And Arum told FightHype: 'That's not even boxing. Chavez Jr, I thought he had hung up the gloves a long time ago. "Jake Paul is not a boxer. It's spectacle. The Tyson event was sort of demeaning for the sport of boxing. Tyson was an old man. "What are we talking about? But again, if Netflix or somebody else wants to pay for that event, that's fine. I have no interest in it. "I have absolutely no interest in a Jake Paul-Chavez Jr fight, because it's not boxing.' Paul's only defeat in his 12 bouts came in 2023 against Fury losing a split-decision in Saudi Arabia. ESPN - who have a TV deal with Arum's Top Rank company - aired the celebrity grudge match on pay-per-view in America. 3 So Arum was part of the promotion - but refused to hold back on either Paul, 28, or Fury, 26. He said: 'Jake Paul is not fighting a real fighter. He's smarter than you and me combined. EXCLUSIVE- Savannah Marshall risks wrath of former sparring partner Tommy Fury with Jake Paul decision "It's not a scam because people know what they're getting, but he's not interested in fighting somebody that can really give him a whooping. "I mean, I remember when Jake Paul, before he caught onto this stuff, and I was in England and he was fighting Tyson Fury's half-brother Tommy Fury, who can't fight. "Tommy Fury won every round, won a decision and there's very few heavyweights that you can name that Tommy Fury would last more than one or two rounds." 3
