Pot, kettle.
Terence Crawford, one of the top pound-for-pound boxers in the world, was recently thrown under the bus by his own promoter in Bob Arum. With his Top Rank deal nearing its end, and a move to a rival looking more likely, Arum slammed Crawford and said he has lost so much money and “ain’t going bankrupt promoting him.”
“He’s got to promote like (unified lightweight champion Teofimo) Lopez does. He’s got to promote like (former featherweight champion) Shakur (Stevenson) does. Like (Floyd) Mayweather did. Like (Manny) Pacquiao did,” Arum said. “If he doesn’t, then who the fuck needs him? He may be the greatest fighter in the world, but, hey, I ain’t going bankrupt promoting him.”
“The question is, ‘Do we want to keep him?’ I could build a house in Beverly Hills on the money I’ve lost on him in the last three fights. A beautiful home,” he said. “Nobody questions Crawford’s innate, tremendous ability. By beating a naturally bigger guy (in Brook), decisively, that’s a big statement that he’s making.“The question is, ‘Does it pay the bills?’ Look, you can have the greatest opera singer in the world. If the fans don’t support it, you’re out of business.”
UFC President Dana White, who isn’t one to pass up an opportunity to take shots at his boxing counterpart, reacted to these comments with an expletive-filled rant.
“I didn’t see how that whole thing played out, but I heard Bob Arum f—king little b—ch crying about it. F—k him,” White said. “I had to throw that in there. I f—king hate that guy!
“Can you imagine if I said that? Are you kidding me? You guys would murder me if I said that. I’d never hear the end of that,” White reacted. “That’s what you do! That’s not (Crawford’s) f—king problem! That’s your problem! (Crawford’s) problem isn’t to figure out how you make money. You f—king signed a deal with this kid. Your job is to promote him!”
White went on to compare his UFC roster that has ballooned recently, mostly due to the amount of relatively cheap signings from the Contender Series.
“Our roster is very inflated now. Biggest roster we’ve ever had in the history of the company. I have to pay all these kids. How I pay them is not their f—king problem. It’s my f—king problem,” White said. “Imagine me saying (crying voice) ‘Oh I have to pay Conor McGregor this much money, I could buy a house in Beverly Hills.’ Shut the f—k up, you f—king scumbag! Pay your fighter what you f—king owe him! That’s your job! Bob Arum is a piece of f—king shit!”
Arum’s statements are certainly uncalled for, and he seems bitter that his top boxer is likely leaving soon for a competitor.
Promoters should promote, and they really should pay their fighters properly. White definitely isn’t wrong about that. It’s just interesting coming from someone with a long history involving underpaid fighters and throwing countless UFC stars under the bus.