Promoter Bob Arum was on the line at 10:30 a.m. Friday from Las Vegas.
He was steamed, to say the least, at the latest development regarding a possible fight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr.
He was angry about a story on ESPN.com that centered on a phone call that took place Wednesday between Mayweather in Las Vegas and Pacquiao in the Philippines. The two apparently talked about the fight, with one of the details of their conversation being the purse.
Pacquiao told Mayweather he was fine with a 50-50 split, but Mayweather said that was not acceptable.
"He ask(s) about a 50/50 split and I told him, `No, that can't happen, but what can happen is you can make more money fighting me than you have made in your career,"' Mayweather told ESPN.com.
Mayweather also blamed Arum for the fight - which has previously met with failed negotiations - not being made.
"There is no fight I want more than the Manny Pacquiao fight," said Mayweather, who was supposed to begin a 90-day jail sentence for a domestic violence conviction Jan. 6, only to have a judge agree to stay that until June 1 so he can meet an obligation to fight May 5 at MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
"I guess he said he agreed to fight. The only thing that is stopping this fight right now, that I truly believe is stopping the fight, is Bob Arum."
When the subject of this story was broached with Arum, he went off.
"Why do you keep listening to what this little jerk is saying?" he said. "Apparently he is saying he isn't going to do a 50-50 deal. So that is the end of the story. Forget about it."
For a second it sounded like Arum was done even talking about this. But he was too perturbed for that.
"This is like craziness," Arum said. "Manny is the box-office star, he is the pay-per-view star. He has all the endorsements. Who the (expletive) is this guy? I was shocked when Manny said we will do a 50-50 because I would not have done 50-50.
"I'm leaving to San Francisco to watch the Giants and the 49ers. I don't want to hear about Mayweather. It is just a waste of time. He blames me? What the (expletive) is he talking about."
Arum would have grudgingly gone along with Pacquiao on the equal division. But he said he would never agree on anything less.
That's not to mention that Mayweather is still insisting on the fight being held May 5 at MGM Grand, where he reserved a date for his next fight some time back.
That would mean there would be no 40,000-seat temporary stadium erected in Las Vegas, like Arum wants, so as to get the most out of what would be the biggest-grossing fight in history.
Arum became even more upset when we asked him what he would do if Pacquiao called him and told him he wanted to do the fight May 5 at MGM Grand and accept 45 percent with Mayweather getting 55 percent.
After all, Arum has always said Pacquiao is the boss when it comes to his fights.
"I would tell him he is out of his mind and I know he wouldn't do that," Arum said. "That's silly, that's stupid. That is a stupid question. That's like saying he has no pride, no nothing. I mean, (expletive), what if he fights for nothing?
"That is a silly hypothetical question."
The Mayweather camp told several news outlets this week the main reason they don't want to fight after May 5 is so Mayweather can have plenty of recovery time before going to jail.
Arum on Friday said he was willing to go so far as to try to go back to the Las Vegas judge who granted the continuance on Mayweather's jail sentence to see if another of 30 days could be had.
That would satisfy Mayweather's desire for recovery time, and allow enough time for the stadium to be constructed and the fight to be held June 9.
Arum said the other option would have been for Mayweather to fight someone other than Pacquiao on May 5 with Pacquiao fighting someone other than Mayweather on June 9. They would sign a deal before those fights stating they would fight each other in November.
Now that Mayweather is saying he wants more than half, those ideas are likely dead in the water.
Arum has a valid point. Even though Mayweather is the other pay-per-view star in the business along with Pacquiao, there is no way he deserves more money than Pacquiao. Don't forget, Pacquiao has been a constant earner. While Mayweather was retired from December 2007 to September 2009, Pacquiao fought four times.
That said, Arum and Pacquiao appear back to deciding which of four others Pacquiao will fight in June. The foursome includes Lamont Peterson, Miguel Cotto, Juan Manuel Marquez and Timothy Bradley.
"This coming week the decision will be made," Arum said. "(Pacquiao adviser) Michael Koncz is flying back from the Philippines and we will have a decision and a fight in place for June 9."
Meanwhile, Arum is making a wad of cash on his precious New York Giants, who play at San Francisco for the right to go to the Super Bowl. He said he has bet every Giants playoff game, and won.
"(Expletive) boxing," Arum said, laughing. "I'm making more money on football."
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