Bob Arum likens promoting Manny Pacquiao to a famous U.S. politician

Promoter Bob Arum has been known to toss out a wisecrack or two during his long career in the sweet science. He doled out some good stuff Thursday as he had lunch with a few reporters at Off Vine, a quaint bistro in Hollywood near Vine St.

Arum was asked how his fighter, Manny Pacquiao, is doing. Pacquiao was knocked out by Juan Manuel Marquez in the sixth round this past December in Las Vegas. Pacquiao will get back in the ring for the first time since then when he takes on former lightweight champion Brandon Rios on Nov. 23 at Venetian Resort in Macao, China (on HBO pay-per-view).

At first, Arum became playfully sarcastic when the question of how Pacquiao is doing was posed.

“How the (expletive) do I know?” he said.

Laughs all around. Arum continued and came with a zinger reflective of Pacquiao’s second job as a congressman in his native Philippines.

“Until he turns his attention to boxing, all he cares about is politics,” Arum said. “It’s like promoting Obama.”

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