Arum hypes Margarito-Pacquiao at Cowboys Stadium

Boxing promoter Bob Arum was in a great mood Tuesday at the Friars Club because his Giants beat the Cowboys on Monday night and he could crow about it. There is some irony in that Arum is in business with Cowboys owner Jerry Jones promoting a fight between Manny Pacquiao and Antonio Margarito on Nov. 13 that is expected to draw more than 60,000 to Cowboys Stadium.

It figures to be a good night for Arum because he has a piece of the high-priced parking and concessions and because the presence of a Hispanic fighter in Texas together with Pacquiao's worldwide drawing power figures to push the pay-per-view numbers close to the million mark. In a jovial mood, Arum joked that he has his pick of private planes for the trip to New York the next day for the Giants-Cowboys rematch.

"I can fly back with Jerry Jones or with Steve Tisch, who is bringing a group to the fight," Arum said.

Talk about having the best of both worlds, Arum said that, if Pacquiao takes Margarito for granted because he's disappointed about not getting Floyd Mayweather Jr. into the ring or because he's distracted by his many activities at home in the Philippines, it's Pacquiao who will suffer.

"Both fighters are mine," Arum shrugged. "If one guy is not doing what he should do and ends up losing, it's on him. I'll have a guy that wins the fight no matter what happens."

Having just returned from the Philippines, where Pacquiao last spring won election as a congressman, Arum marveled at all the endeavors Pacquiao is juggling. He also has his own band that takes up considerable time.

"The last guy to have these type of distractions who didn't let it bother him was Ali," Arum said. "Ali always had distractions; he was never focused."

At the same time, Arum rarely has seen a fighter with Pacquiao's combination of speed plus power in both hands. Pacquiao and Margarito are fighting for the vacant WBC 154-pound title, but because of the size difference with Margarito, who is five inches taller, they have agreed to a 150-pound catchweight.

"Margarito is a slow fighter, not compared to Manny but to anybody," Arum said. "The question is: Will the extra weight affect Manny's speed?"

If he beats Margarito, Pacquiao will return to welterweight, and there will be no shortage of opponents. But Arum said, "There's only one fight that has priority, and that's Mayweather." Referring to serious legal problems Mayweather faces regarding a domestic dispute, Arum said, 'We can't do a Mayweather fight if the judge is going to schedule a trial beforehand. On Nov. 9, we'll find out what's going to happen with Mayweather in the judicial system, but that's Manny's first priority."