Firstly, this writer, being me, yours truly, does not think Manny Pacquiao is juicing. With that said, there is a growing list of people in the boxing world that think that he is. Should Manny Pacquiao be suspected of taking steroids just because of his accomplishments inside of the ring? A lot of people are doing just that. There are more and more fighters, (most only talking off of the record) that are saying that Pacquiao’s ability to come up in weight this much
, and to keep his speed and power is suspect.
The Devils Advocate asks – If Manny is clean and steroid free, why not just take the random blood tests? Why all the push back, and resistance to give some blood and settle the question once and for all?
Team Pacquiao has answered this one. They say that Floyd Mayweather Jr does not make up the rules. They say that Manny adheres to the commission rules, and he’s passed every test ever given to him.
The Devils Advocate says – Passing a urinalysis test doesn’t mean anything. Steroids can be masked, and hidden so that a urinalysis test will not find them. A blood test will find any illegal PED’s.
There was a rumor out there that claimed Pacquiao talked of being afraid of needles. Personally, I never heard Manny Pacquiao ever say this, but nevertheless some say that he did say this. IF, and it’s a big IF, he did say it, then the Devils Advocate asks – If you are afraid of needles, then why do you have several tattoos on your body?
The Mayweathers are absolutely convinced that Manny is taking some sort of illegal substance that increases his abilities inside of the ring. Mayweather just passed on 50 million dollars for one of two reasons. 1 – He is telling the truth that he feels Manny is cheating. 2 – He is afraid of losing to Pacquiao and would rather retire as an undefeated fighter.
There is another possibility, perhaps with the possible jail sentence that his trainer is looking at, he may be reluctant to sign into a fight of this magnitude and potentially not have his trainer in his corner.
I have spoken to several fans all across my state of Mississippi about this story. The opinions are bias. Mayweather fans think Pacquiao is juicing, and Pacquiao fans think Mayweather is just afraid. While covering the Fernando Guerrero fight up in Souhaven, MS last month I ran into Keith Conyer. He’s a huge Pacquiao fan, and pulled no punches given his opportunity to speak on this, “Mayweather is straight up afraid. He’s a crap talking fool who picks on smaller guys. He’s afraid to get whooped by a smaller guy in Pacquiao, and that’s all there is to it.”
Of course I want to be fair and balanced, so I spoke to a Mayweather fan as well. I asked Larry Johnson of Horn Lake, MS what his thought were on all of this, “Pacquiao can’t possibly be clean. This guy is a fraud and it will all come out in the dirty laundry one day, wait and see.”
Check out Dennis Guillermo’s most recent article here – http://www.examiner.com/x-10947-Filipino-Sports-Examiner~y2010m8d3-PacquiaoMargarito-opens-Filipino-boxing-fans-eyes-to-the-business-of-boxing
On a closing note, I have been covering Manny Pacquiao’s camps for years now. I have seen how hard this man trains. I for one do not think that he is taking anything to enhance his ability in the ring. Manny’s strength comes from hard work. If by chance one day that I am wrong, and those who believe Manny is juicing are right, then I will be the first to admit it. And if that day were to ever arrive, I will write about it with a somber heart.
