According to Dan Rafael of espn.com Golden Boy Promotions offered Top Rank a $3 million package in order to make a Super Bantamweight unification bout between Nonito Donaire and Abner Mares.
“The offer is now in writing and was sent (Friday) afternoon,” said Richard Schaefer.
“There’s a signature line for Donaire and one for (Top Rank chairman Bob) Arum. I signed already and Mares is in, too. It’s $3 million for their side to do whatever they want with. It’s probably a world-record amount of money for a man in that (122-pound) weight class.”
“We are not asking for any options, not asking for anything besides this fight,” Schaefer said, adding that there is no rematch clause language. “We will treat Top Rank with respect. They can hang their banner up at the press conferences and the fight, we’ll have the fight be announced ‘in association with Top Rank,’ we’ll give them library rights to the fight. All that stuff. No catch weights, no bull—-. This is a serious offer. I am anxious to know what kind of excuses they will come up with now.”
“There’s nothing more I can do to make this fight than to make that kind of serious offer,” Schaefer said.
“I’m going to go where I can make the most money,” Schaefer said. “I believe this is a big fight and there’s substantial revenues involved. I value the fight differently than Arum. I might be wrong. But I am willing to take the risk.”
“They offered us a million dollars for Abner, (Mares manager Frank)Espinoza and me. It was a joke,” Schaefer said. “Top Rank obviously values the fight differently than I do.”
“I don’t know what the catch is,” Schaefer said. “I’m anxious to know about their excuses for not doing the fight. Like Bob always says, maybe the fight needs to marinate a bit longer. I’m sure they will come up with something. If Arum and Donaire go and do another fight, it means they don’t want the fight because they can’t make the money in any other fight than what they can make with this offer. No strings attached.
“I swear on my kids there is no catch here. This is as straight forward as can be. Bob can even bring his Top Rank banner to the fight. I don’t care. I just want to make the fight.
“This is fair as can be. Arum can (question) me all he wants and this and that, but it does not change the fact that there is a great deal here for him and his fighter on the table. At the end of the day, he doesn’t want his fighters to fight our fighters.”
“I haven’t seen anything yet, so how can I say if it sounds OK if I haven’t seen it yet,” said Donaire manager Cameron Dunkin. “But I have never had a problem with Nonito fighting Abner Mares. It’s a great fight. Two great fighters. It’s a big fight. Do I like my guy (to win)? Of course, I like my guy. Does my guy win? Absolutely. But they are two solid names and this is a big fight.”
“I’ll know more when I see an offer from Top Rank and get their take on it,” Dunkin said. “Is (the offer) true and straight forward? We’ll find out.”
