The negotiations, if you can call them that, exploded. The two sides, the Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao camps, are now reduced to their second favorite sport, slinging mud at each other.
Laughing Lenny Ellerbe, Mayweather’s coatholder, told Mayweather hometown reporter David “Hold The” Mayo (Grand Rapids, Mich., Press) that Pacman promoter Bob Arum is trying “to divide and conquer” and making “amateurish” moves.
For his part, Arum blames himself, at least partially for the big fight deal not going through me, comparing his attempts to pacify Mayweather demands for totally random blood testing to British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain’s misguided attempt to make nice with Adolph Hitler.
But—and here comes the a really “juicy” rumor about Pacman juicing it up with banned drugs to make him more formidable in the ring—I’ve now learned that some Mayweather caddy is spreading a vicious rumor that former world heavyweight champion Michael Moorer, former aide to Manny trainer Coach Freddie Roach was fired or quit that job after he threatened to “expose” the Pinoy Idol’s cheating.
It’s an easy trick, the old “disgruntled former employee” ruse.
Now, look, this is one of those throw a rock and hide your hand things with no one singing their name to the allegations that Moorer, long rumored to be a steroid user himself when he bulked up from a 175 pound world champ into a solid heavyweight, was going to rat Pacman out.
The unsubstantiated word is that Moorer buzzed someone close to Mayweather with this tasty tidbit and that precipitated the random drug testing demands by Money May’s handlers.
I am reaching out to find Moorer as you read this to see if he confirms or denies this story.
I don’t put any credence into this rumor, I simply report to you to underline that the dirty pool games will continue between the opposing sides.
If Moorer, who clashed with Manny agent Michael Koncz and others at Roach’s boxing cathedral (Wild Card Gym), was talking about extorting or blackmailing Pacquiao, wouldn’t it have surfaced long ago?
Moorer can be a charmer when he wants to but is also moody and mercurial.
What’s next in all this hitting below the belt?
I’ve got it, Arum is almost 80 years old. Psst, whisper, whisper…pass it on.
You don’t need an umpire to call these balls foul.
