Ho-ho, there’s been quite the little furore during negotiations for the super-fight between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao. And as usual, Floyd is public enemy number one. This time Money Mayweather is being pilloried for…… wait for it, wait for it….. wanting a stringent drug testing policy and making sure that the biggest fight this century will be 100% clean. That dastardly fiend!! And Pacquaio, that holier than thou, whiter than white, bigger than God like figure, has so far REFUSED this “unreasonable” demand from Mayweather and is now looking to take on best buddy Paulie Malignaggi down at 140 or possibly even Yuri Foreman for the WBA light-middleweight title to claim either his sixth or eight world title, depending on who you [want to] believe (isn’t boxing politics wonderful folks?).
Ok, let’s cut through the spin and silly fanboy garbage. Do you think Floyd is really worried about this fight being 100% clean? Of course not! If he was so adamant about Olympic style drug testing being an essential tool he would have been screaming for it since the day he turned pro. This is the first time that Floyd has ever mentioned this type of rigorous testing in his pro career. Do you really believe that Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer is committed to stamping out drug cheats in boxing? Hell no! If he was then he would have accepted Zab Judah’s request for additional testing when he was set to face Shane Mosley. Schaefer didn’t think it was necessary for Mosley to prove his innocence, yet he believes Pacquiao should? Despite knowing for a FACT that Mosley, unlike Manny, has taken PED’s in the past. Yeah, that makes perfect sense Richard!
Logic doesn’t seem to be this man’s strong point
In my opinion, this whole fiasco was instigated by a brilliant piece of psychological warfare concocted by Floyd’s adviser Leonard Ellerbe and Mayweather himself. I say “brilliant”, not saying I agree with these type of tactics, but they are as old as time itself in the sport of boxing and they will continue to be part of this sport long after Mayweather and Ellerbe have left it. Muhammad Ali wasn’t above using these type of mind games. Just ask Joe Frazier. Ali, of course, is one of the most revered sportsman of all time. What’s good for the goose and all that.
And let us be in no doubt, these tactics have definitely gotten under the skin of Pacquiao. In fact, Manny has dealt with this whole thing alarmingly bad and its fast becoming a PR nightmare for him. All he had to do was release a statement which went something along lines of “look Floyd, if you want Olympic style drug testing then fuck off back to the amateurs. This is the pro game son and unless Nevada requires me to submit random blood tests during training, you can kiss my ass.” Ok, he could it have put more diplomatically, but the sentiment would have been perfect. Basically, the point Manny would have been making is that Floyd does not run any boxing commission and has no right to be making such demands. Rock solid argument. Alas, the arguments that the Filipino has come out with for not agreeing to random blood testing are about as solid as paper-mache.
First we hear that he suffered from “needle phobia”, a condition that would seem to suddenly disappear when he takes a liking to a new tattoo. Also, Pacquiao’s promoter Bob Arum has said that his fighter would have no problem giving blood before the press conference, 30 days before the fight and immediately after the fight. So it would appear that this “needle phobia” only affects Manny during the final couple of weeks of training camp. Hmmm. That brings me to his next excuse, which has more holes in it than Swiss cheese. Pacquiao said that he fears giving blood so close to the fight would weaken him.
Alright, two problems with that line of thought. Firstly, the USADA (United States Anti-Doping Agency) only require less than a teaspoon of blood. Travis Tygart, chief executive of the USADA, has said their testing will not interfere with the fight in the slightest. “Its unreasonable to think that it would,” said Tygart. Secondly, even if the minuscule loss of blood DID affect the Pac-Man in any way, Floyd would be subject to the exact same tests, so Manny would not be at a disadvantage, which renders his argument null and void. Tygart also said that Manny’s “30 days or beyond” compromise is pointless. He stated that the 30 day window was “unacceptable to any effective anti-doping program.” He also added that with a 30 day window “you could dope to the gills and get away with it.”
Lately, Manny has said that it’s the “mental” effect of the blood loss that he fears. Whatever. All these B.S. excuses have done is give his detractors more ammunition and raised the eyebrows of people who were not detractors to begin with. Really, Manny would have been best served saying nothing rather than coming out these bizarre, nonsensical statements. And his image took another hit when, after announcing his intentions to sue the Mayweathers and GBP for “defamatory statements” which have “tarnished his reputation”, Paulie Malignaggi emerged as a possible replacement opponent. This is the same Malignaggi who, in several interviews, has insinuated that Pacquiao’s recent performances have been aided by PED’s.
Manny’s apparently more thick-skinned when it comes to Malignaggi’s comments
In an interview with Boxing Truth Radio, Malignaggi said: “Look at what Manny is doing. He is absolutely crushing world-class killers. And here he is, this little midget. He gets a broken eardrum and yet, he is walking around afterwards like he was dodging spitballs. There are things out there than can do that.You’re hiding under a rock if you can’t see what I am talking about. This is a guy who was life and death with Juan Manuel Marquez at 120 pounds and now, he’s got 15 to 17 pounds of muscle on him. Look at how short he is. He didn’t get taller, did he?”
So Manny is suing the Mayweathers and GBP for “tarnishing his reputation”, yet he has no problem rewarding Malignaggi with the biggest payday of his career for his recent “defamatory” remarks? That my friends is horseshit of the highest order.
At the start of the article, I said that I would cut through all the spin and fanboy garbage and after doing so I think it’s obvious that NOBODY comes out of this whole debacle smelling of roses. Not Floyd, not Manny, not Top Rank, not Golden Boy Promotions…….. NO-ONE. Have you no doubt this fight will happen. Will it happen on March. 13th? Probably not, but it will happen. Perhaps at the end of the year when all the drama has died down. But as of right now, this whole situation is a horrible mess and in the long run only boxing’s name will suffer. And that’s the only thing I care about. I could give two shits about egomaniacs like Mayweather and Pacquiao, excellent boxers though they are.
The sport I love is once again in the headlines for all the wrong reasons and that hurts.
