Bob Arum Goes off on Yet Another Reporter

Terence Crawford and Shawn Porter went to war last weekend. After 10 rounds of nonstop action, the WBO welterweight titlist retained his throne; he proved to the world why he is a legitimate top pound-for-pound contender. While Crawford exited the building with smiles and cheers, Bob Arum, on the other hand, was visibly frustrated after the event.

Promoters always want their fighters to win, and sometimes not even for monetary incentives. And so did Bob Arum on Crawford vs Porter fight night. However, the 89-year-old knew Crawford’s victory would put him in a difficult spot. The Porter fight was Crawford’s last bout on his Top Rank contract; due to Arum’s inability to book a mega-fight with Errol Spence Jr, Arum just knew he’d have to answer some Spence-related questions.

With the thought of Terence Crawford leaving him and venturing into free agency, Arum had a lot going on for himself. His frustration was evident in a post-fight interview when a reporter asked him a question. He was asked if Errol Spence Jr, who was in attendance that night, would be discouraged after seeing Crawford win.

It was clear from Arum’s facial expressions that he did not want to really answer that question. In a manner similar to his recent snappy response to ESPN’s Mike Coppinger, he snapped at this reporter as well.

“How the f**k would I know, if it would discourage him or encourage him? I mean, you gotta ask him!” Bob Arum snapped back at the reporter.

However, he then continued by saying that the decision to fight Crawford lies in the hands of Spence and PBC’s Al Haymon. Arum claimed that he would still talk to PBC regarding a potential matchup.

“Errol Spence is a good fighter, a brave guy and whether he wants to fight Terence or not, that’s up to him and Al. I will certainly talk to Al about a possibility of putting them together,” he added.

Terence Crawford is serious about parting ways with Bob Arum

This fight with Shawn Porter was Crawford’s last bout on his Top Rank contract. After the 10-round clash, the Omaha, Nebraska native finally spoke out on his relationship and his future with Top Rank.

Read More: Shawn Porter: “I Give My Dad a 100% Pass”

He said that he has no faith in the Top Rank top dog to set up a mega-fight with the unified champion at 147, Errol Spence Jr. He suggested that he will be moving on from Arum. The fact that he said this right to Bob Arum’s face was quite unlike the old ‘Bud’ Crawford, who has always been super respectful of the 89-year-old.

“I’m pretty sure my decision is made already. Bob couldn’t secure me the Spence fight when I was with him, so how is he gonna secure me the Spence fight when I’m not with him? I’m moving forward with my career right now and I wish everybody the best,” said Terence Crawford.

So, it seems Terence Crawford has chosen to disregard Joe Rogan’s 2019 advice to him regarding not engaging in self-promotion.

Now that he is finally venturing out into free agency, major promotions like Eddie Hearn‘s Matchroom Boxing, Al Haymon’s PBC and even Floyd Mayweather‘s Mayweather Promotions could soon pitch in their bids to work with Terence Crawford.

Obviously, booking a fight with Errol Spence Jr would be top priority; however, these other promoters could also help him move out of the shell that Top Rank had locked him into for so long.

Do you see Bud signing onto a new promotion or do you see him working with different top promoters to put up the biggest fights possible like Canelo Alvarez?

Also Read: “I Would Love to Work With Him”: Floyd Mayweather on Signing Terence Crawford to Mayweather Promotions