Sixty Years in Boxing Game: Fury of Top Rank Promoter Bob Arum at 90
By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent
Top Rank promoter Bob Arum is well known. What is not well known is Arum began his affiliation with boxing in 1962 as an attorney, when Arum was told by the United States Department of Justice to confiscate the proceeds from the awful Sonny Liston versus Floyd Patterson one round World Heavyweight title fight held on September 25, 1962. Arum met, at that time, Lester Malitz, promoter of the 1965 Ernie Terrell versus George Chuvalo bout, during which he retained Arum to represent him. In 1966 Arum became a boxing promoter. Arum credited athlete Jim Brown with introducing him to Muhammad Ali, and Ali with teaching him how to be a boxing promoter. Arum subsequently became vice-president and secretary of Ali’s boxing promotion company, Main Bout.
During the 1980s, Arum soared in promoting World Middleweight champion Marvelous Marvin Hagler’s world title bouts with Thomas “Hitman” Hearns, John Mugabi, Roberto Duran, and Sugar Ray Leonard. Arum also promoted Evander Holyfield versus George Foreman, Julio Cesar Chavez, Erik Morales, Manny Pacquiao and many more as a staple on the Las Vegas fighting scene. Of course Arum promoted many famous names and bouts.
Arum was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1999. In 2000, citing extortion, Arum testified to paying then IBF president Bob Lee Sr. a $100,000 bribe in two installments in 1995, as the first half of a $200,000 bribe through middleman Stanley Hoffman. Lee had first demanded $500,000 to approve the George Foreman versus Axel Schultz fight, but settled for the lesser amount of $200,000, half of which remained unpaid. Lee was indicted for racketeering in 1999, but convicted of money laundering and tax evasion in 2000. Following his testimony, Arum was sanctioned and fined $125,000 by the Nevada state Athletic Commission. Fellow boxing promoters Dino Diva and Cedric Kushner also admitted to paying similar bribes to Lee. In 2001, Oscar De La Hoya successfully sued Arum, was legally released from his contract with Top Rank, and later co-founded Golden Boy Promotions. Arum has three children by his first wife, and two stepchildren by his second wife who work with him at Top Rank. Arum’s son, environmental lawyer John Arum, fell to his death in North Cascades National Park in 2010.
In 2022, Arum hopes to promoter lineal World Heavyweight champion Tyson Fury’s next three fights. This is where Bob Arum is at the moment, provided he can overcome spectator restrictions and vaccination protocols to stage Fury’s three mega fights on Pay-Per-View. Bob Arum, was, is, and will always be a major player in professional boxing, having long surpassed Don King, his promotional rival, who is still in the game.
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