Bob Arum

Arum entered promotion through Muhammad Ali, staging his first Ali fight in Toronto in 1966. The former New York lawyer later made Las Vegas the operating home of Top Rank. UNLV’s oral-history project dates the headquarters move to 1986 and preserves his own account of the business.

His promotions connected generations: the Hagler–Hearns and Leonard–Hagler fights, George Foreman’s late-career title return, Oscar De La Hoya’s development and Manny Pacquiao’s rise. Top Rank’s founder history records his role in eight of the nine meetings among Leonard, Duran, Hearns and Hagler.

For Las Vegas, Arum represents year-round work behind fight week: developing fighters, negotiating television distribution, selling tickets and coordinating resort partners. The UNLV interview offers a readable primary source that gives this history more depth than a promoter’s name beside a bout.