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In his Hall of Fame career spanning nearly six decades, Bob Arum has promoted some of the biggest fights in boxing history. Among the superstars who have fought under his Top Rank Promotions include Muhammad Ali, whom many regard as the greatest fighter that has ever lived.
Arum, the Brooklyn-born one-time federal prosecutor, returns to his home city of New York this weekend with Artur Beterbiev putting his IBF and WBC Light Heavyweight Titles on the line against WBO Champion Joe Smith Jr. in their unification match-up at Madison Square Garden.
In a press conference for the fight, the legendary promoter recalled how he staged some of the biggest fights in the world’s most famous arena featuring Ali. He said the Garden and the city will always hold a special place in his heart:
“I live in another part of the country now. But as you can tell from my accent, I'm still New York. I was born here, raised here… [I was here] when Ali fought against Zora Folley. I was [also] here for the first fight in the Garden with Joe Frazier. This place means a lot to me and to be able to put on a fight like this in Madison Square Garden really means a lot to me because of how I was raised and what I experienced starting as a young man and then as a promoter. So this is it, there's nothing better than Madison Square Garden.”
Watch the final press conference between Arthur Beterbiev vs. Joe Smith Jr. featuring Bob Arum below:
Since its formation in 1973, Arum's Top Rank has promoted several fighters like Roberto Duran, Oscar De La Hoya, Floyd Mayweather Jr., Manny Pacquiao, Sugar Ray Leonard and many more. The promotion has also staged some of the most iconic fights in the sport’s history and even today continues to hold the top spot.
High-profile bouts promoted by Bob Arum
Bob Arum’s inaugural promotion took place in 1966 when the late boxing great Muhammad Ali defended his heavyweight title against George Chuvalo. Fifty-six years since then, Arum has promoted many of boxing’s biggest superstars.
Among these highly-touted fights include Muhammad Ali-Joe Frazier III or the "Thrilla in Manila" in 1975; Roberto Duran vs. Sugar Ray Leaonard or "The Brawl in Montreal" in 1980; Marvin Hagler vs. Tommy Hearns or "The Fight" in 1985; Marvin Hagler vs. Sugar Ray Leonard or "The Super Fight" in 1987; and Manny Pacquiao vs. Oscar De La Hoya or "The Dream Match" in 2008.
In recent times, the 90-year-old Arum has promoted arguably the most successful heavyweight trilogy fight between Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder. He has also played a vital role in making the "Fight of the Century'' between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. a reality, which eventually became the highest-grossing fight in history.
Watch the highlights of Mayweather vs Pacquiao, one of Bob Arum's biggest promotional efforts, below:
