BOB Arum will be 92 in December. The Hall of Fame promoter is in Belfast for Saturday night’s IBF featherweight world title fight between Michael Conlan and defending champion Luis Lopez.

Obviously atill very active, the promoter who has worked with ring legends going back to ‘The Greatest’ himself, Muhammad Ali, remains energetic and mentally sharp.

What’s his secret?

“When I have time off to myself I sometimes use cannabis,” the New York native explained.

“I’ve been doing it for 40 years and I advocate it very, very strongly. Thank God, in the United States in most places it is legal. It helps relax the brain and, thank God, at my age I have all my faculties and, most important, my memory so I can relive all the encounters that took place so many years ago.”  

Top Rank promoter and bona fide boxing legend boxing legend Arum was back in Belfast, a city he first visited in 1985 when he came to support Bernard Taylor who fought Barry McGuigan at the King’s Hall.

“It’s two terrific fighters,” he said.

“I think it’s going to be a battle from the beginning to the end. Lopez is very good, he’s beaten some terrific fighters. He went to the UK to beat Warrington in his home town so he’s used to travelling but Mick asked us to make the fight and he’s confident that he can win.

“We’ll have to see if he’s right – that’s why they’re having a fight. Mexican fighters are always very good and very determined and they don’t quit.

“Even if a fight is going against them they can still suck it up and still pull out a victory. A lot of fighters are frontrunners – if they’re doing well early on, okay they hang on and they win the fight but if it’s going against them they quit. Mexican fighters don’t do that – they never give up.”