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LAS VEGAS — Powerful boxing promoter Bob Arum vehemently opposes elite fighter Terence Crawford's allegation of racial bias.
"Don't call me racist," the 90-year-old founder and CEO of Top Rank told Fight Hype.
Arum used to represent Crawford, who is suing the Top Rank boss for $10 million, citing "racial bias."
Earlier this year, in court documents seen by Insider, the lawsuit lists "Top Rank's disparate treatment of Black boxers and Arum's racist remarks."
"It is painfully clear that Top Rank, and especially Arum, judges people based on their race," the lawsuit said.
It then details examples that include organizing fights in South Africa during apartheid, a reported accusation from Floyd Mayweather that Arum is "biased against Black fighters," and claims that Arum "himself has made bigoted comments in the press."
One of those comments, the lawsuit alleges, appeared in a 2019 LA Times story, where Arum imagined a hypothetical conversation between boxer Errol Spence Jr. and his manager Al Haymon, both of whom are Black.
"He's [Haymon] gonna say, 'Spence, listen to me. Don't listen to the white guys, because if you listen to the white guys they're gonna steer you down the road. Listen to me, brother. We're part of a brotherhood. And if I tell you not to fight Crawford, I'm telling you not to fight Crawford.' That's exactly what he will say," Arum told a group of reporters.
The lawsuit later said: "Arum has made millions off the backs of boxers of color, including Black boxers. His racist attitudes pervade every aspect of his dealings with Black boxers like Crawford."
Arum denied the accusation at the time, telling the New York Post: "I may have made mistakes, but one thing I cannot be accused of is being racist."
Calling the allegation "absurd," Arum added that fights involving Crawford have been loss-makers.
"I have promoted scores of top Black boxers," he said to the Post. "We have promoted a number of pay-per-view fights for Terence, all of which have lost money, a lot of money, then to claim we purposely and deliberately lost money because we are racist is nonsense. It is part of what is wrong with our culture.
"I am flabbergasted. If he believes I didn't do a good job he [Crawford] can plead that [in his suit], but don't call a man a racist when really this is because of your own failures."
Photo by Mikey Williams/Top Rank Inc via Getty Images
Arum again opposed the claim in new quotes to Fight Hype.
"The allegations are stupid," he said. "I don't even pay attention to them.
"You can call me a lot of things. You may call me cheap, you may call me greedy, if you want – there's a debate on that – but don't call me racist. That's, like, fucking stupid."
Arum then claimed Crawford is being mismanaged, but it is unclear if he's referring to his trainer, Brian McIntyre, or boxing manager — and suspected figurehead of a $1.1 billion criminal operation — Daniel Kinahan, who supposedly represents Crawford from Dubai.
"Terence is being advised by the wrong people," Arum said. "The best thing that could've happened after the contract was over is we go our separate ways without any vitriol."
Arum praised Crawford's fighting abilities, calling him "wonderful," but said the athlete did not market himself.
"He would prepare like a son of a bitch, and he would work real hard, but that hurt us to some extent promoting his fights. That's why the results that we got in the promotions … left a lot to be desired."
The lawsuit itself is not yet resolved.
