Top Rank rejects Golden Boy’s Mares-Donaire offer

According to a report by Lem Satterfield of Ring Magazine, Top Rank Promotions CEO Bob Arum has rejected an offer from Golden Boy Promotions to set up a super bantamweight showdown between WBO champion Nonito Donaire and WBC champion Abner Mares.

 

After Mares’ victory over Anselmo Moreno last November, he called out Donaire and asked his promoters to make the fight. "I want to keep fighting the best out there. On our side, we're willing. Oscar De La Hoya said he'll walk to Las Vegas and knock on Bob Arum's door to get the fight," Mares said in the post-fight interview.

 

About a month later, after he defeated Jorge Arce, Donaire also expressed interest in the fight.  

“I want Mares next because he is calling me out,” he said moments after knocking out Arce.

 

However, it appears that the match won’t push through as Top Rank rejected an offer sent in by Golden Boy Promotions. The contract stipulated that Donaire will receive $3 million for a fight against Mares in June. It was also stipulated that both fighters wouldn’t be allowed to have tune-up bouts and that the date could be delayed by as much as 90 days if the promoter deemed it necessary.

 

In an interview with Satterfield, Arum said that one of the biggest reasons for the rejection of the offer was Donaire's commitment with HBO.  [Related: Donaire-Rigondeaux probable for April says Arum, but he's still holding out hope for Mares]

 

“We're going ahead with that commitment on April 13 on HBO. After that, we'll revisit the situation. So he's going to fight on April 13, and he's going to fight either [Guillermo] Rigondeaux or [Vic] Darchinyan, period, end of story,” said Arum, who added that they also sent in a “reasonable” offer to Mares for a fight on April 13, which was rejected by Golden Boy Promotions. [Related: Donaire, wife expecting their first child]

 

Rachel Donaire, who is set to give birth to the couple’s first child on July, added that her husband could be out of the ring for as much as nine months if Top Rank signed Golden Boy’s offer.  “That would mean that Arum didn't do his job as a promoter because that would bring down Nonito's likeability down and his viewership down for sitting out for nine months," she said.

The "no conditions" Schaefer spoke of is in "no condition r we responsible if we postpone or cancel the fight for the amount payable $3mil" — Nonito Donaire Jr. (@filipinoflash) January 30, 2013

Another issue in the contract was the clause saying "the parties shall have no further obligations to each other." According to Donaire, there's a risk that he'll actually get nothing if Golden Boy decides to scrap the fight for any reason. - Carlo L. Pamintuan/AMD, GMA News