Bob Arum and Top Rank are sitting pretty right now, with their ESPN deal proceeding smoothly, seemingly, and with their heavyweight investment Tyson Fury elevating himself to the topmost slot, as THE lead dog in pugilism.
OK, Team Canelo might take issue with that characterization…but all in all, Bob Arum is feeling groovy, with his business humming along nicely.
Arum's mood hasn't been hurt by the way things have been playing out in the political sphere, over on the Dem side, where there is jostling to find out who will be chosen to oppose the incumbent President.
“We're really on track to beat Trump, Joe Biden is the guy who can beat Trump, trust me, millions and millions of people would have a hard choice in choosing Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump,” Arum told me.
“The problem was that Biden, for whatever reason, he wasn't used to running, he'd been running as VP, that's a lot different, and he hadn't found his game. Until he was endorsed by Jim Clyburn (House of Representatives Majority Whip, repping SC in Sixth District since 1993) in South Carolina (before the SC primary).”
I'm as or more willing to listen to Arum, over some of the folks trotted out as “experts,” on cable news, for the record. He's smart, hello, and has been in that arena himself.
“These totals, they're exceeding primary totals in 2016, it's yuge, absolutely yuge! African Americans are energized for Biden, the working class, the white suburban vote…If the Democrats have a candidate like Biden, some Republican voters can accept him, over Trump, he's moderate.”
Arum has said he'd hold his nose and pull the lever for Trump (below, posing with Arum rival Don King, who stumped for the now impeached President in 2015 into 2016), over the “Democratic Socialist” Sanders, like Arum, born in Brooklyn, but unlike Arum, not a fan of capitalism as currently practiced by the all-stars in the business realm.
We talked about some of the elements that will be in play as the process moves forward. Already, on a daily basis, the 77 year old Biden gets targeted on social media for a supposed neuro-cognitive decline. Arum is 88, and doesn't make 1/25th the verbal stumbles Uncle Joe does. The Las Vegas based promoter says he doesn't think that line of attack will puncture the Biden momo balloon. “I think with Biden what will work is people will talk about his decency, at long long, we can have a decent guy instead of a demogogue who demeans all the values that make this country what it is.”
The promoter of pugilism/pundit of politics thinks Biden could well sew up that nomination in maybe ten days or so. He too wonders how things play out with the 78 years old Sanders still fighting, off the ropes, and dislodged contender Elizabeth Warren (age 70) holding a bit of power as she with-holds her endorsement.
That really won't matter, though, as Arum predicts that Barack Obama “will work his ass off” and attract young people and African Americans to hop on the Biden bandwagon, and drive forward to make the impeached President Trump a one-term wonder.
We shall see if Arum's instincts play out correctly. His track record, and record of late, make that a not unwise bet, it could be argued.