TRANSCRIPT of efforts to secure a Pacquiao vs Mayweather had failed. Floyd funked out.

BOB ARUM ON THE TOP RANK DECISION
By G. Leon

Dan Rafael ESPN: My question for you is, uh at what point you while you were negotiating with uh, with the uh, reps for Cotto and for Margarito umm, how deep into it would you be willing to change if Floyd presented himself uh, do you need to uh, have a signed contract with these guys or could you be up to the last minute and tell these guys, hey by the way in case Floyd decides to come out of hiding and take this offer, we're going to cut you off right here. How are you going to handle that?

Bob Arum: "The answer is that we wouldn't need a signed contract if Manny committed and I committed to Cotto or Margarito, that would be a deal. The signed contract would be later, but while these negotiations are going on while I'm talking to Manny, if Floyd came to the table, that's the fight that we want more than all othes, no question about it."

Dan Rafael ESPN: During this entire period did you have any direct conversations with any representatives of Mayweather or did you go strictly through Ross Greenburg?

BA: "Strictly through Ross Greenburg."

Dan Rafael ESPN: Did you find that to be unusual?

BA: "Well, you know Ross was committed to make the fight happen. As the head of HBO Sports I felt the best chance to make it happen was to do everything through Ross, almost like he was the mediator. I still think it was the right way to go. Obviously it didn't work out, not because Ross didn't go a good job, because I think he did in talking to myself an Al Haymon. Obviously the problem was, Floyd for whatever reason and I'm sure he's got some valid reason, did not want to committ."

Kevin Iole YAHOO SPORTS: Specifically, why was the deadline today, as opposed to next week or a little bit later after Roger's trial?

BA: "Good question. You understand what the deadline is? The deadline is the end of the exclusivity period. We now have to go out and secure an opponent for Manny Pacquiao, assuming that it won't be Floyd. We then have to mount a campaign, we have to get in touch with the television networks, the indemand, Direct TV and dish and get everything in order. Time is going by and we have to start scheduling press conferences. With Manny Pacquiao, I'm not dealing with a normal type of fighter where you can schedule press conferences willy-nilly. He's over in the Philippines and he has his duties which he takes seriouosly as a congressman in the Philippines, therefore we're limited as to when we can schedule a press conferences in the United States."

Kevin Iole YAHOO SPORTS: Did you or Todd reach out to anybody on the Mayweather side and say, 'hey is there anything going on?

BA: "We have never talked to anybody on the Mayweather side. All conversations on our part were through Ross and he reported all conversations from the Mayweather side through Al Haymon."

Kevin Iole YAHOO SPORTS: You said on June 30 that you thought there were no more issues remaining and it was pretty much done. Is that still your position now and it's just that Floyd's decided he doesn't want to fight this year?

BA: "Yes. That's based on my conversations with Ross Greenburg. Understand, I've never talked to anybody on the Mayweather side. I've only talked to Ross Greenburg, who represented to me certain things that he had discussed with Al Haymon on behalf of Mayweather."

Kevin Iole YAHOO SPORTS: Lastly, I know you mentioned Cotto or Margarito. Most speculation has been Margarito. If it happens to be Margarito, given the circumstances of his 2009 fight and given that he hasn't won a big fight subsequently, why does he deserve a chance for Manny Pacquiao?

BA: "I'm not going to take that up now. That's something that you can editorialize if and when a fight with Margarito is made."

Kevin Iole YAHOO SPORTS: If the Mayweather fight doesn't made do you think it will have a negative impact on the sport?

BA: "I am sure, I am sure without knowing that there is a very, very good reason that Floyd Mayweather has for not committing to a fight at this time? Now I'm speculating, one of the reasons could be the uncertainty surrounding Roger Mayweather. For people who don't know Roger Mayweather is scheduled before a court in Nevada regarding criminal charges. I know how Manny would feel if he had to go into a fight like this without the services of Freddie Roach and presumably, Floyd would feel the same way going into a fight like this without the services of his uncle Roger who has been training him for a number of years."

Greg Leon BOXINGTALK: With um nearly four months out between now and November, why the rush? The first time around the Pacquiao-Mayweather fight seemed to be in discussion all the way up until the first week of January. The fight with Clottey was scheduled on two months notice. Why the sudden need to implement a deadline and have this call because the exclusivity period is over four months out? Isn't there another week or two of leeway that could have been given since this fight is so big?

BA: "No, not really because now I'm dealing with a very unsual situation. I'm representing a fighter who is also a congressman and he has legislative duties and he has committments in the Philippines and I have really short windows to handle various aspects of the promotion."

Greg Leon BOXINGTALK: Right, but if he's going to fight on November 13 the date of the press conference wouldn't change, would it?

BA: "Yes it will. I'm going to have to do press conferences a lot further out than might ordinarily be the case. Indeed when he'll be training for the fight, he'll be training as a congressman and he'll have to fit his training into legislative sessions. I understand that the congress sits three days a week."

Greg Leon BOXINGTALK: How quickly do you anticipate you'll be able to verbally close a deal with either Margarito or Cotto?

BA: "I have no idea, but I would assume a week or so. I would have to get Manny's views. I would have to discuss with Manny who he preferes etc, and then get everything put together."

Greg Leon BOXINGTALK: All three athletes are under your banner, so Top Rank would have promotional control. Is the ultimate decision as it relates to who the opponent will be, does it fall on Manny or is it a Top Rank executive decision?

BA: "It falls on Manny."

Greg Leon BOXINGTALK: If you had your preference who would it be?

BA: "I'm not going to say because I don't want to have prejudice on the situation, I want Manny to decide. He's a very intelligent guy, he's going to know what the considerations are, and whoever he selects is who we're going to go after and make the fight."

Greg Leon BOXINGTALK: You're a very intelligent guy too. Although you suggested to Kevin that he can editorialize it how he chooses earlier; in your opinion, do you think that Margarito deserves such a fight?

BA: "It's the same answer I gave to Kevin. Do we have another questioner?"

Steve Kim MAXBOXING: When you talk to the representatives of Margarito or Cotto can you tell us what the timeframe you would tell either side they have to make a deal?

BA: "Yeah, it would be the next 10 days."

Greg Logan NEWSDAY: You said that you did everyrthing through Greenburg and you thought you had a deal. How close do you feel you were? Did the other side relay any hint of why Mayweather wasn't ready to committ?

BA: "It's a very good question, the answer is no. They kept assuring Greenburg, based on what Greenburg told me, Haymon told him that he was working on it, to expect an answer shortly. Of course, it just never materialized. I don't blame Haymon, I think he really tried, at least what I get from Greenburg, Haymon really tried to get the fight together."

Greg Logan NEWSDAY: You mentioned Richard Shaeffer before, kind of obliquely. What involvement, if any, did he have, did you get any indication the he was also on board?

BA: "Again, Shaeffer's name was never really mentioned by Ross. Al Haymon, the only feeling I had that Golden Boy might be involved, or that Haymon might be talking to Floyd, was when Oscar said on the radio that the deal was very close to being closed. So I assumed, at that point, that Haymon had talked to Shaeffer, and that Shaeffer had talked to Oscar."

Greg Logan NEWSDAY: As far as the specifics that Manny agreed to, regarding blod testing for drugs, we've seen it reproted that there was a two week window, a cut off period. Did Haymon, through Greenburg, agree to that?

BA: "I'm not going to go into specifics, but I think that issue was resolved, Not as clear cut as you're saying it, but I believe it was resoved. I don't want to go into the details."

Greg Logan NEWSDAY: But you were satisfied that Haymon, their side, could accept whatever conditions you...

BA: "That's what it seemed to me, based on what I was hearing from Ross. Remember, like I said, on any impression to be out there, that I ever thought that Haymon or that Shaeffer, or anybody else, I didn't."

Greg Logan NEWSDAY: If you do have to move on to Margarito or Cotto, what would the attraction be for a Cotto rematch?

BA: "The Cotto rematch would be that Manny's going for a title, fighting at a higher weight, and that Miguel would have Emanuel Stewart in his corner, one of the great cornermen of our time. That certainly would give Cotto more ammuntion going into the fight than he had last time.

Greg Logan NEWSDAY: Granted. If it's Margarito, as far as the California Comission putting off any further hearing on him, where do you go for him?

BA: "Well, number one, we ask for the Nevada Comission, based on California putting it off, to give him a conditional lisence to fight in Nevada on the 13th of November. Hopefully, from Margarito's standpoint, they will agree to that. If not, then if Manny decides that he wants Margarito, we would do the fight in Monterey, Mexico. Manny would do the fight outside of the United States."

The rest of the blah, blah, blah was irrelevant for the most part