The story broke earlier on Wednesday that the ‘Prince’ wanted to put together the fight most boxing wants to see in Dubai with a huge purse on the table, although Arum was less than convinced of its authenticity.
Speaking with ABS-CBN’s North American Bureau, Arum was quick to point out that there had been rumors of this nature in the past and that he won’t believe anything until contact is made to Top Rank through the official channels.
“I don’t know who this fellow is, and he’s never talked to me or anybody in the Pacquiao camp,” said Arum.
“But over the years, we have met more alleged princes from Dubai than there are princes from Dubai. But he was as much a prince as you are. The last guy says he was a prince from Dubai. It turned out he was born in Brooklyn, New York.
“It’s a scam. I don’t know about this fellow. Maybe he is honest. Perhaps he is not honest.
“If they’re legitimate, why wouldn’t we be willing to talk with them and negotiate with them? But I’m very, very skeptical,” he added.
FLOYD MAYWEATHER vs MANNY PACQUIAO
Mayweather and Pacquiao have been linked to what would undoubtedly be the most lucrative pay-per-view fight of all time on many, many times in the past, with the fans being let down on every occasion.
Even phone calls between the two a few years back, without any outside influence, failed to produce a result, so the backing of a rich Prince seems unlikely to have any effect on whether the clash ever gets made.
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