Bob Arum receives further backlash after “outdated” comments on women’s boxing

Arum has now faced further backlash from former world champion Sergio Mora and Chris Mannix over comments he made claiming people don’t “pay attention” to women’s boxing after Katie Taylor vs Amanda Serrano was confirmed

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Eddie Hearn talks co-promoting with Jake Paul

Bob Arum has now faced further backlash from widely-criticised comments he made claiming that people don’t “pay attention” to women’s boxing.

The Top Rank promoter was speaking in an interview after the historic undisputed clash between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano was confirmed.

It will likely clash with a unification bout between Oscar Valdez and Shakur Stevenson he is staging with Top Rank on the same night, but he abruptly claimed to be unthreatened by a split audience.

Arum has now faced further criticism from Sergio Mora and Chris Mannix who have called for the promoter to “admit he was wrong”.

“Of course, I don’t agree with it, but I’m from a different generation,” Mora said on the DAZN Boxing show. “Bob Arum was born in the 30s, he’s 90-years-old, there’s a huge generational gap.

“I think Bob Arum as great as he is as a promoter, he’s been in the game a long time, he’s a ‘Bobfather’, everyone loves him, he was wrong here, I think if you give him a chance, he’ll admit that.”

Presenter Mannix replied: “It’s just an outdated argument, Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano is the biggest at the moment in women’s boxing, but it’s not the only big fight in women’s boxing, at some point this year you’re going to get Savannah Marshall against Claressa Shields, that’s a big showdown in the upper weight classes.

“Women’s boxing, while not on the level of men, is certainly light years better than what it used to be so it shouldn’t be cause for sniffing at the idea it could compete with the calibre of a fight like Valdez and Shakur.”

Taylor will put her undisputed titles on the line against Serrano in the iconic venue of Madison Square Garden in New York later this year.

The pair have planned to fight for several years which has now been made possible by Eddie Hearn and Jake Paul who have teamed up to co-promote the event.

What did you make of Bob Arum’s comments on women’s boxing? Let us know in the comments section below

Arum rubbished claims that the fight could have more interest than the unification clash on his own promotion comparing it to the Premier League.

“As good a fight as that is, I mean, come on,” Arum told iFL TV. “For whatever reason people don’t particularly pay attention to the women’s fights.

“ESPN made the schedule and they couldn’t care less. I don’t want to denigrate fights and I don’t want to be accused of being anti-women in sports but I’m telling you this is like the Premier League against women’s football.”

YouTube star Paul was outraged by the comments and branded the long-time promoter a “dinosaur” in a rant on social media.

He signed Serrano to his new label Most Valuable Promotions making an immediate vow to deliver the big fights for his charge.

The 25-year-old will now focus on promoting the fight himself and plans to delay any talks regarding his own boxing exploits until after the fight.