GL: The purse-bid for the Margarito-Williams got postponed to next week and then Bob Arum told me Margarito will vacate the WBO title. "I hear what Bob is saying and I understand what Bob is saying, but we're preparing for a purse-bid and it's going to be a strong seven figure purse bid whether we're the only company bidding or not. It's going to give Margarito a strong seven figure payday and unless I'm hearing bad information, it's close to the money Margarito would make to fight Miguel Cotto in June."
 
GL: So basically you plan on putting in a hefty bid next week and seeing where it goes from there.
 
Dan Goossen: "We're preparing for a strong bid on our end. We want to promote the fight and we're going to move forward with a bid that will give Margarito zero ability to say that there's no money or no interest in this fight.  The proof will be in the purse bid."
 
GL: Are you concerned that it just might be Margarito's primary focus to face Cotto and his people don't want to risk that fight by fighting Paul first?
 
DG: "The first thing to understand, for the most part, the payday is there for Margarito with Paul, so you don't risk anything other than what you risk when you step inside the ring. Two, if you're as good as Margarito says he is and you're successful beating Paul, you're stock and asking price jump through the roof in your next fight. Margarito would be making $4M to fight Cotto in September instead of $1M+. That kind of money isn't there for him to fight Cotto now, but it would be if he's as good as he says he is. It doesn't boil down to name calling or ducking from our end, but the facts are the facts. He makes as much money fighting Williams as he does fighting Cotto and the proof will be in the purse-bid. I don't mind showing my purse bid hand now.  It is what it is.  I can't tell you who would win the fight between Paul and Margarito, but he's not going to have any reason not to fight Paul Williams, unless he intends to do what he has accused others of doing to him. Paul is a fighter the networks and the casinos are very, very high on, and for good reason, he's an exciting fighter.  Margarito has the chance to rekindle thoughts and comparisons to the big and great Tommy Hearns-Pipino Cuevas event many years ago. There has never been a great Mexican champion that ran away from a real challenger, especially when the world would prefer to see Margarito fight Williams rather than Cotto.  Who have you ever heard in the past 12 months scream out for a Cotto-Margarito match?  No one.  The only person screaming for it now is Bob.  Williams and Margarito has been written about for the past 10 months.  People want to see it.  The media and networks want it to happen.  Deep down inside, I don't believe Margarito will walk from his first real challenge as a world champion.  I could be wrong.
 
GL: And who would be Hearns?
 
DG: "We've got all the faith in the world in Paul Williams. Margarito has been on the big stage and he wants to stay there and Paul will be going in there to knock him off of it. The winner of this fight going on to fight Cotto only makes that fight that much bigger. Don't tell me about money not being there with Williams and Margarito. Any smart businessman would see that the money only gets bigger fighting Williams and not ducking him. Don't tell me about injuries because Williams is prepared to wait until Margarito's healthy. There is no reason for him to give up his title to fight Cotto.  All obstacles have been removed, money and injuries.  It's purely a business decision and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that the smart business decision for Margarito is Williams. If Margarito is the best welterweight in the world as he says he is, and he can beat Paul Williams, then he's just learned the "Art of the Deal" by realizing that he'd at least triple his market value against Cotto in a September showdown with a victory over Williams."

,M

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