LAS VEGAS — UFC president Dana White rarely passes up an opportunity to bash one of his main promotional rivals, legendary boxing promoter Bob Arum. But then, rarely has Arum teed one up for White like he did with comments after a recent Top Rank card.
Arum promotes Terence Crawford. The current WBO welterweight champion is an outstanding competitor who currently ranks No. 1 on the Boxing Junkie pound-for-pound list. But he hasn’t turned into a drawing card to match such status.
After Crawford’s successful title defense Saturday night over Kell Brook, Arum complained to The Athletic about the money he’s lost promoting Crawford.
“I could build a house in Beverly Hills on the money I lost on him in the last three fights,” Arum said.
That comment got White’s attention. Asked about it during Tuesday night’s Dana White’s Contender Series 36 post-fight news conference, White said he was aware of Arum’s comments, and said it’s not Crawford’s problem whether his promoter can figure out how to promote him. That responsibility is solely on the promoter, according to White.
“Can you imagine if I said that?” White said. “Are you (expletive) kidding me? You guys would murder me if I said that. I’d never hear the end of that. That’s what you do. That’s not (Crawford’s) (expletive) problem, that’s your problem.
“His problem isn’t to figure out how you make money. You (expletive) signed a deal with this kid, at how many people we have on the roster, our roster is very inflated right now. We have a very big roster, the biggest roster we’ve ever had in the history of the company. I have to pay all these kids. How I pay them is not their (expletive) problem. It’s my (expletive) problem.“
White went on to wonder aloud how people would respond if he complained publicly about the money the UFC is paying former lightweight and featherweight champion Conor McGregor.
“Imagine me saying ‘oh, I gotta pay Conor McGregor this much money, I could have built a house in Beverly Hills.’ Shut the (expletive) up, you (expletive) scumbag. Pay your (expletive) fighter what you owe him, do you job. Bob Arum is a piece of (expletive) (expletive).”
It’s probably fair to say White and Arum won’t be exchanging holiday cards this winter.
