Arum blasts HBO 'Thrilla in Manila' film

LAS VEGAS – Bob Arum provided the fireworks during Wednesday’s final press conference.

However, it didn’t concern the coming fight, or any of the fighters, but HBO’s 90-minute documentary on the epic “Thrilla in Manila” between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier.

Arum introduced HBO’s Mark Taffet to the press conference by saying he was “very pleased” with the way HBO has handled the promotion of the Pacquiao vs Marquez 3.

“A terrific job in this new world and new environment of promoting the fight,” said Arum.

Taffet opened up by airing his condolences to the family of Frazier, who just died of liver cancer, and by describing the former heavyweight champion as “part of the HBO family.”

“We love Joe,” Taffet also said.

Taffet then talked about Pacquiao-Marquez and how great it has been watching and working on their two previous fights.

When he returned the microphone to Arum, the chief of Top Rank Promotions said what he had wanted to say all along.

“Todd duBoef (Top Rank president) tells me I should learn how to keep my mouth shut. But I’m 80 years old,” said Arum, stressing how difficult it is for him to do so.

“I’m great friend of Joe Frazier and I admired him. I did a lot to promote his fights and those for his son,” said Arum, who helped promote the 1975 “Thrilla in Manila.”

“He’s a terrific, terrific man and of course a great fighter, but that documentary is something I found to be disgusting,” he went on.

“It was designed to demean one of my great heroes, Muhammad Ali,” he went on, even saying the documentary on the greatest fight in history was full of “inaccuracies.”

“And testimonies from people who weren’t even there. I was there. It was an unfair attack on Ali and I condemn it,” he said.

The documentary, which was released in 2009, is all about the third fight between Ali and Frazier, but mostly “through the eyes” of the late champion.

In the film, Frazier narrated his bitterness against Ali, the way he was portrayed by Ali as “the gorilla” or “Uncle Tom” or just plain “ugly.”

Ali, however, admitted that he said things he shouldn’t have said, and those were meant to promote the fight. Yet, Frazier won’t take it.

“Watch it but don’t believe a word that’s being said,” said Arum.

How Taffet must have felt listening to Arum he kept to himself.