Op-Ed: Lawsuit Could be Arum's Tactic to Save Pacquiao-Mayweather Match

The recent defamation lawsuit filed by Manny Pacquiao against Floyd Mayweather et al, could be Arum's way of getting the negotiations moving on the stalled Pacquiao-Mayweather fight talks as he prepares to attend a mediation meeting with Mayweather camp

In the wake of the stalled Pacquiao-Mayweather negotiations, promoter Bob Arum had to find a way to neutralized the offensive posture of the Mayweather negotiating team on the issue of of blood testing. As a lawyer, Arum knew that once a case in filed in court, the opposing parties may not comment on the merits or demerits of the case as they may be violating some rules on sub judice, which could weaken the case either way. Under the sub judice rule, it is generally considered inappropriate to comment publicly on cases sub judice, which can be an offense in itself, leading to contempt of court proceedings. This is particularly true in criminal cases, where publicly discussing cases sub judice may constitute interference with due process. In the case of the stalled negotiations for the Pacquiao-Mayweather match, both parties were expected not to discuss or talk about the merits of the case. In effect Arum was able to neutralize the media hype created by the blood testing controversy which was damaging Pacquiao's clean-cut image. At the same time, the case placed the Mayweather camp on a defensive mode being the respondent or the accused in the lawsuit. Arum's perceived strategy could lead to possible out-of-court settlement as both camps have agreed to meet Tuesday in the presence of a mediator who is a retired judge known to both parties Boxing fans believe that the Arum legal strategy worked in favor of Pacquiao camp and they predict that the resumption of negotiations after the mediation meeting will follow. The Pacquiao-Mayweather boxing match is tentatively scheduled for March 13 and considered to be this year's biggest boxing event. Both boxers are expected to earn over US$40 million each. Pacquiao is the current WBO welterweight champion and current pound-for pound king while Floyd Mayweather, Jr. is an undefeated American boxer who came back from retirement two years ago to return to active professional boxing. He recently fought and won over Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez in what appears to be his tune-up fight against the popular Filipino boxing superstar.