CEO Bob Arum of Top Rank Promotions, which promotes seven-division champion, Manny Pacquiao, of the Philippines, has charged Golden Boy Promotions with being racists for allegedly denying Filipino reporters the opportunity to interview Floyd Mayweather near the end of a press conference in Los Angeles on Thursday.
According to a story that was first reported by Dennis "dSource" Guillermo of Examiner.com, several Filipino media members, including the legendary Chino Trinidad, were not allowed to interview Mayweather (40-0, 25 knockouts) near the end of the promotional event touting a WBO welterweight (147 pounds) title matchup against champion, Shane Mosley (46-5, 39 KOs) at LA Live.
"The banning of the Filipino press had not emerged until I heard about it at the Wild Card Gym yesterday afternoon. Manny was training, and had another appointment, and I had to leave before he finished training. So I can't even say that he knew about it, but he probably knows about it now," said Arum, whose negotiations with Mayweather for a potential fight with Pacquiao fell apart over Pacquiao's refusal to be subjected along with Mayweather to Olympic-style drug testing.
"I think when I made the statement about, 'Why didn't he agree to take the test 14 days out from the fight, etc., etc., and I said, and 'Manny endorsed, that he's a proud Filipino, and that he wasn't going to be bullied by anybody.' Between the lines of what made the statement was -- and Manny understood it -- was this is racism," said Arum.
"And Manny was like, 'You're not going to push me around, and give me orders, and tell me what I'm going to do when it's not the rules just because I'm a Filipino," said Arum. "He didn't say those words, but that, I believe, was underlying it all."
Pacquiao has filed a lawsuit charging defamation of character, seeking damages from Golden Boy Promotions, Mayweather promotions,Floyd Mayweather Jr., Floyd Mayweather Jr., and, Roger Mayweather, the latter of whom is the fighter's trainer.
Pacquiao said, however, that he was made aware of the recent developments only recently.
"I was not aware of that situation, but if it is true, I am very disappointed for everyone," said Pacquiao in a statement. "It is simply not a nice thing to do. I do not understand that kind of thinking."
Pacquiao is set to face Joshua Clottey (35-3, 20 KOs) in defense of his crown on May 13 at Dallas Cowboys' Stadium in Arlington, Tex. Mayweather and Mosley will meet at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
"I don't care about all of this sh**. All that I care about right now is that at a press conference in my country, that people from another country were treated so horribly," said Arum, "and were descriminated against. That's what makes my blood boil, and thats's what makes me angry."
Schaefer, of Golden Boy, said that he didn't know about the sitituation.
"I don't really have time to read the secondary sites. I know that Floyd Mayweather gave interviews. And I don't want to get involved in a back and forth with Bob Arum," said Schaefer. "I have nothing else to say about it."
In a second story written by Guillermo, Arum stated the following.
"I am personally very, very upset, becausee I got reports over at the Wild Card Boxing Club from Filipino media that had come back from the Mayweather-Mosley press conference that they were up in arms because they told me that they were forbidden to have any access like all other journalists had to Floyd Mayweather, and that he wouldn't answer any questions or even talk to or give any interviews to any Filipino.
"Now, whoever's responsible for this ought to be ashamed of themselves. This is the worst kind of racism that can be imaginable. And I put this at the feet of the promoter, Golden Boy, Richard Schaefer and Oscar De La Hoya. They're the ones in charge of the press conference, and they're the ones who permitted this outrage to happen. And any person who prevented a journalist from asking a question or doing an interview because of his race or nationality should be fired, and banned from the business of boxing.
"This kind of stuff can not be permitted to go on. It's terrible for the sport, it's terrible for the United States for it to happen. It happened in the United States. And an o rus an apology is due to all of the Filipino people."
On it being a double-standard.
"Manny has graciously responded to all questions when asked of the American Media. I can see a P.R. person telling a client or a fighter telling a fighter, 'Don't answer any questions pertaining to 'X,' whether an American journalist, or a Danish journalist, or an English journalist, or a Filipino journalist. The same standard has to apply to journalists from every country. Somebody ought to teach these people what it means to be an American and what the free press means. It's not just words. The free press means equal access for any journalist.
In an earlier post, Arum was quoted on FanHouse as saying he thought the charges of steroid use against Pacquiao were xenophobic.
"When this whole issue emerged about this extra drug testing, etc., I smelled xenophobia directed at him, Manny
Pacquiao, because he's a Filipino. And wasn't that substantiated when Floyd Sr. and Floyd Jr. came up with this
proposterous story that Filipino soldiers took hundreds of years ago to prevent them from feeling the affect of bullets? Or Floyd Jr.'s remark that he knows that the Philippines are the center for producing performance enhancing drugs. That has no basis in anything. Just made up. This kind of crap has got to stop.
"I really believe that somebody has to educate these people, and to teach them what it is to be a responsible promoter toward journalists. For Shaefer and De La Hoya to have permitted this to happen, they have to call a press conference and apologize for the entire Filipino and to the Americans for having treated people from another country this badly."
Source: boxing.fanhouse.com
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