Timothy Bradley’s Floyd Mayweather bid another casualty of feud?
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The open wounds stopping fighters from rival promoters Top Rank and Golden Boy from squaring off are showing no signs of healing, making Timothy Bradley’s quest to land a Floyd Mayweather Jr. fight difficult.
“I’ve tried to reach out to Bob Arum several times and I get nowhere, so I want nothing to do with” him, Golden Boy Chief Executive Richard Schaefer told The Times on Monday. “I’ve tried and tried and tried. It’s enough.”
World Boxing Organization welterweight champion Bradley (31-0) of the Palm Springs area won a split-decision over Juan Manuel Marquez on Saturday night, and said afterward he wants boxing’s “top dog,” Mayweather (45-0).
Yet, Top Rank Chairman Bob Arum and his former fighter Mayweather haven’t worked together in more than seven years after a bitter parting, and Golden Boy has helped Mayweather promote all of his fights since 2007. Golden Boy and Top Rank haven’t worked on a big fight together since 2009.
Schaefer, coming off the success of the all-time record in pay-per-view earnings from Mayweather’s Sept. 14 majority decision win over Saul “Canelo” Alvarez of Mexico, said he “couldn’t care less” about what Arum does and criticized Top Rank’s undercard for Bradley-Marquez, fought at Las Vegas’ Thomas and Mack Center.
“If you look back at what Bob did when he was sitting high with [Manny] Pacquiao, he’d say about my fighters then, Shane Mosley and Marquez, that, ‘If they’re free agents, we can do the fight,’ ” Schaefer said. “What goes around, comes around.”
Bradley’s manager, Cameron Dunkin, said Sunday his boxer is bound to Top Rank for an undisclosed time period that would likely feature two more fights.
If Mayweather is not available, Bradley would likely next fight either Pacquiao or his Nov. 23 opponent, Oxnard’s Brandon Rios, or possibly the Saturday winner of Mike Alvarado-Ruslan Provodnikov.
For Mayweather, in a 30-month contract with Showtime, his opponent May 3, 2014, could be either former junior-welterweight champion Amir Khan of Great Britain, or unbeaten 140-pound champion Danny Garcia.
Khan, boasting an overseas market and good hand speed, is the front-runner even if he was knocked down by journeyman Julio Diaz in his most recent bout.
Bradley, after beating Provodnikov in a compelling battle in March, is challenging Mayweather for fighter of the year.
“Tim Bradley put forward a terrific fight,” Schaefer said. “He’s an extremely skilled fighter that finds a way to win. That will to win … he’s got it.”
Barring the continued inability to make Mayweather-Pacquiao, isn’t Bradley the most qualified next opponent for Mayweather?
“I’m not going to get into those silly questions,” Schaefer said.
Showtime Executive Vice President Stephen Espinoza said this about the possibility of Mayweather-Bradley:
“I’m not interested in negotiating that deal through the press,” Espinoza said. “If Top Rank is serious about the fight, I’d tell them to reach out to Mayweather’s advisors.”
Like Schaefer, Espinoza said he too has been rebuffed in reaching out to Arum.
Arum on Sunday said he would take any calls from Mayweather’s people.
Translation: Don’t call me, I won’t call you.
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