His constant campaign for possible ring foe Manny Pacquiao and other top fighters (always including himself) to take state of the art drug testing has made Floyd Mayweather Jr. seem to be a fear-mongering crackpot to some in recent years. Yet, in the wake of Monday night rumors which were advanced into the realm of fact when a Lamont Peterson spokesman informed Boxing Scene’s Detective Rick Reeno that the fighter from Washington, DC, has indeed failed at least one prefight drug test, Mayweather’s preaching is looking to be spot on. Andre Johnson, spokesman for the Peterson camp, admitted to Reeno that the May 19 Peterson-Amir Khan rematch has been thrown into turmoil.
?We have tremendous respect for VADA and its mission. Lamont, Barry and the entire team emphatically support random drug testing in the most comprehensive manner possible. We are working expeditiously with a team of pathologists and other medical specialists to confirm the origin of the test result and in full compliance with the rules of the Nevada athletic commission.
?Lamont has never had a positive test either before or after this isolated occurrence, and we plan to submit the medical findings by close of business Tuesday reflecting the actual facts in support of Lamont’s good faith intentions and the requirements of the commission.?
Further, huge British tabloid The Sun published a brief story which said the rematch may be in jeopardy and that Englishman Khan will be “gutted” if he doesn’t get his chance for revenge against the American as scheduled (HBO to televise). Maybe there is an innocent explanation, let’s give Peterson the benefit of the immediate doubt. But, where’s there’s smoke, there is certain to be ire if not fire. Promoter Golden Boy, paying Peterson a $1 million purse to get their guy Khan a chance for ring redemption, will want a full explanation of how Lamont could fail a drug test when he knew the prefight testing regimen was in effect. If it turns out Peterson, who along with his boxing brother was once homeless on the mean streets of the nation’s capital, was caught “riding dirty” then it will make Mayweather look like a seer rather than a nutjob. On Tuesday, May 8, Khan-Peterson II, will get a ton of prefight publicity. Or maybe I should say prefight notoriety.
