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Everybody has an opinion, that’s something that simply goes without saying. News, rumors, and speculation of any kind are sure to elicit a reaction from onlookers and the recent buzz on the Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather Olympic style drug testing fiasco has had boxing fans and insiders almost awestruck.
Wanting to get a better feel for what people within the sport are feeling about everything, I reached out to some fellow writers, fighters past and present, and current trainers. I asked everyone simply what they felt about everything, how they think things will unfold from this point forward, and how big of a blow it will be to the sport if Pacquiao-Mayweather doesn’t happen.
Chalked full of emotion and insight, the answered I received varied tremendously. In their own words, this is what everyone is saying…
‘Iceman’ John Scully is a forme Light Heavyweight contender who now spends his time as a trainer. He played a key role in the professional development of Chad Dawson and helped guide Jose Antonio Rivera and Mike Oliver to titles of their own. Scully has a deep appreciation for the amatuer system and is always up to date on the latest professional news as well. This is what he had to say…
“It seems to me that the while thing is more of a publicity ploy than anything. If that is the case it is actually genius at work, too, because everyone is talking about it now. People who couldnt have cared less now are fidning interest in it. I think they have to fight now, they MUST fight now, and I really have no doubts that they wont. And if they don’t meet in March it will be met with anger and frustration at first but it will be like in 1981 when Leonard and Hearns both took tune-up fights first on the same day (Leonard stopped Kalalue for the WBA title in his tune-up). Those fights added fuel to the fire and helped make the big fight the most anticipated on the year. These two may not fight in March but they will fight in 2010 and whenever they do, every boxing fan and a ton of non-boxing fans are definitely going to watch it. It will be the injection of life boxing needs right now. ”
Sabrina Montez is a Las Vegas based writer who first started covering the NBA before falling in love with the sport of boxing. She has spent time in camps with some of the sports’ biggest names and learned the game on a daily basis from Roger Mayweather and Cornelius Boza Edwards. More of her work can be found at www.8CountNews.com. Never one to hold here feelings, this is what the ‘Verbal Vixen’ had to say in a recent article…
“What exactly is Manny Pacquaio planning to get out of filing a law suit against Golden Boy Promotions, Floyd Mayweather Jr, and Sr? It wont accomplish much it will certainly make Pacquaio’s pockets deeper. It will not stop the continuous speculations floating around the boxing world. The damage is already done.
Mayweather is smarter than we all think he is. He had everyone hyped up believing he would actually fight Pacquaio. He knew Pacquaio would not agree to Olympic style drug testing. So he put it out there to make it look as if we all would fault Pacquaio for not complying and ruining this potential fight.
Its too bad for Floyd Mayweather Jr. because he was beginning to recieve a lot of respect for stepping up to fight a caliber opponent. Now he will always be considered the number 2 boxer in the world. Mayweather’s new years resolution should be learning to shut up. Its cool to trash talk but only if you can back it up in the ring. Mayweather wont even step in the ring with Pacquaio so what does that tell you… (To read the rest of Sabrina’s article please click HERE)
Elisa Harrison has a deep and passionate history within the sport of boxing. Her father, Renee Cubas, worked at Madison Square Garden in public relations and at a young age Elisa was able to witness how the sport worked on first hand basis. After later relocating to Miami, Florida, Elisa would start the very successful boxing website Bragging Rights Corner (www.BraggingRightsCorner.com), to which she still runs to this day. This is what Elisa had to say…
“I think that after having read Victor Conte’s take on the need for a different test, such as the Olympic style drug testing, I am all for it. Commissions have too much invested in fights of this magnitude, and their track record for the most part has not been the most stellar or honorable. So, I am all for an outside entity, with a proven record of ‘I don’t give a damn who you are’, if you are dirty you are going down, than the soft touch which is the most than can be expected from the highest ranking boxing commissions, such as the Nevada Commission. (Let’s not forget the fact that any judge can sway the fight in his favor, assuming he buried big bills at the betting windows.)This may be the way of the future, and I welcome it.
After having read Conte’s take on the type of steroids Manny may be using, I don’t see the fight coming off any time soon. It was screwed up from jump street, when Arum and the Pacquiao camp tried to tell us the meanest men on the planet would balk at $25 million dollars guaranteed because he is superstitious about having blood drawn. The following excuses were as weak and out of place as the first one. So, no, I don’t think there will be a fight, and the longer Pacquiao takes in manning up to the new testing, the further the chances of the match up taking place. And as an after thought, Pacquiao or Mayweather against Malignaggi would be criminal.
It may be the best thing that happened to the sport, because it will be obvious then who was on the right side of the fence and who wasn’t. As a result, other camps may ask for this type of testing for major fights and agreeing to it, will only help clean up the sport of boxing.”
Nicole Woods is a professional female fighter sporting a 9-6 record that isn’t a true indicator of her excellent skills inside of the ring. Originally from Brooklyn, New York, Woods currently resides outside of Atlanta, Georgia and has shown tremendous fortitude througout her career as a professional as well as great admiration as a fan of the sport. This is what Nicole had to say…
“I think the whole Olympic style fiasco is that, a fiasco. I really feel even more now that Manny has something to hide. Here as an amateur all of the top athletes are subject to the testing. I have been giving blood for years and have not had any harsh reactions before fights even though everyone is different but whatever he did Mayweather would have gotten the same on the same day so it would be still be a leveled playing field. I think the fight is dead. I don’t think that it was going to happen to begin with. I have to say to be able to turn down a guaranteed 25 million and a maybe to 40 million a piece it is more than just about money. At this point I don’t know who to believe.
I don’t see the big deal with the test because all of the athletes have to take them. Right in the middle of the Olympics Michael Phelps had to take blood tests and it didn’t stop him from winning 8 gold medals. So not taking sides because I am not sure who to believe but why not take the tests? What do you really have to hide. Now you want to sue for defamation? The only way to clear your name now is to be subject to the test. Smells like HGH to me. Maybe they are stalling to get it all out of his system first then they will agree to the fight who knows. But I do know that I will not watch Pacquiao-Malignaggi. The fight doesn’t make sense. He had 24 rounds of war with Juan Diaz who got knocked out by Juan Manuel Marquez. Malignaggi got knocked out by Hatton and struggled 12 with Cotto who both got knocked out by Pacquiao so why does this fight even remotely make sense? It doesn’t. Timothy Bradley would be a better step in even though I don’t think he stands a snowball’s chance in hell but it would be a better fight. Boxing will take a hit initially but it will bounce back as usual.”
Eric Kelly is a former standout amateur who’s professional caeerer was cut short due to injury. His story can be found HERE. There are many insiders who claim that if Kelly had turned professional he would have ending up capturing the Super Middleweight championship of the world. Kelly is still involved in several business aspects of the sport today and is a fan at heart. Always outspoken, this is what the Brooklyn native had to say…
“I think that the whole Olympic drug testing issue is more hype to get even more build up for the that. Both of these athletes are superb combatants and I’m sure that they are both clean. Pacman has been having an awesome career and I blame that on his hard work and passion for the sport. Same with Mayweather, his career has been remarkable and it’s due to the love and respect he has for his sport. Personally, I feel that both sides are the blame because it’s all just an act in my opinion. I mean, I read that Pacman may be walked to the ring by hip hop superstar Rick Ross. We know about Floyd’s alliance with 50 cent and the original Rick Ross. How out of character is it for Pacman to be walked to the ring by a rapper? WAY OUT OF CHARACTER for him! It’s just all hype, like a good soap opera. And since Prince Naseem Hamed we haven’t had much character in the sport in terms of funny antics.
If the fight doesn’t come off on March 13th, I’m sure that it will happen during the summer. These two guys are just milking America the best way they can and adding even more chaos and drama to the build up, you know how America loves drama. It will be a huge blow for the sport. Perhaps top 5 blows of all time. Ali vs. Frazier 1 was a huge blow, Leonard vs. Hearns 1 was a huge blue, Mike Tyson vs. Holyfield 1 was a huge blow, Ali vs. Foreman was a huge blow and then there’s this.”
Ryan Songalia is a published writer and member of the Boxing Writer’s Association of America. His work can be found weekly at Boxing Scene (www.BoxingScene.com) as well as in Boxing Digest Magazine. Based out of New Jersey, Songalia has a great appreciation for the history of the sport and can often be found tucked away in the gym, analyzing fighters as well as preparing for his initial foray into the amateur ranks himself. This is what Ryan had to say…
“I think that there should be a compromise as it is conceivable that drawing blood close to a fight would have detrimental effects on a fighter’s performance. The testing is designed to even the playing field but in a situation like this it could conceivably do the opposite. It’s not as if Pacquiao hasn’t offered a reasonable alternative so I think that a fair medium can and should be found to salvage the fight.
I don’t think the fight will come off, and only because there just isn’t enough time to adequately promote the fight. This baby should have been signed, sealed and delivered by now and as it is it would be cutting it pretty close.
I don’t think it’s necessarily a blow to the sport as long as the end result is that they fight each other. If they are in compelling matchups in the interim they can grow interest in their matchup and make the fight more lucrative financially.”
Matt Yano is a boxing writer involved in the sport in many capacities. Matt works as a publicist in his free time as well as contributing to Primer Round Magazine and 15 Rounds (www.15Rounds.com). Matt also started his own website recently, www.GardenStateFightsScene.com. This is what Matt had to say…
“This is the classic two sided argument. You can easily say what does Manny have to hide and Floyd must also do all of the testing so whats the issue. The other side is that this type of testing has never been done before and Nevada has the most stringent testing (which Manny has never failed), therefore that should be good enough. Fans are so split on this as am I.
I thought all along that the fight wasn’t going to be March 13th since that didn’t give them a ton of time to promote. This will definitely push it back further if it isn’t resolved quickly.
It could greatly damage boxing. This fight has people who probably never watched the sport before talking about it. People in the office and kids in college are talking about this fight. The hype and public demand from everywhere is simply huge. If this comes off, it is a major black eye for boxing and is another reason for the casual fan to not want to watch anymore.”
Jorge ‘The Truth’ Teron is a Lightweight contender with a 23-1 record consisting of 15 knockouts. Modest by nature, Teron avenged the only loss of his career this past May by winning a unanimous decision over Aldo Valtierra. Teron recently spent time training out in Las Vegas as he helped get Joan Guzman prepare for his November 28th fight with Ali Funeka. Teron’s next fight is on February 6th as he will be meeting undefeted Brandon Rios for the vacant NABF title. This is what Jorge had to say…
“I’m kind of split on the whole Olympic testing situation. I understand both sides but I’m leaning towards Pacquiao. Pacquiao has already agreed to go beyond what the Nevada commission requires and take three blood tests on top of also agreeing to take random urine tests. That seems pretty fair to me and if any of the fighters are on any type of illegal drug those tests are more than enough to uncover them. I’d hate to think that the best fighter in the world is scared to fight but it’s starting to look that way on Mayweather’s part. I’m confident that both camps can come to an agreement soon though. There is so much money on the line that I don’t see how they can’t make it happen. If however this fight doesn’t happen it’ll be a huge black eye for boxing. This fight appeals to all sports fans not just boxing fans and boxing needs mega-fights like this to stay relevant.”
Jeff Mayweather is a former IBO Jr. Lightweight champion. He now spends his time in Las Vegas training professional and amateur fighters alike. He has worked in the the corners of Steve Forbes, Mickey Bey, Demetrius Hopkins, as well as guiding Sultan Ibragimov to the WBO Heavyweight championship in October 2007. This is what Jeff had to say…
“I personally believe that the time has come for boxing to start stepping up for the betterment of the sport. I believe only a fight of this magnitude can bring about change. I feel that if you have nothing to hide you comply with whats being asked of you. If your were stopped by a police officer and he accused you of drunk driving and you don’t drink you demand that officer to conduct anykind of test merited to prove your innocent. To many different claims. Im scared of needles yet you have tatoos. Then your strength coach is ready to take complete blame because Manny just takes what you give and dont question it. No person with a brain isnt going to at least asked what is it for Manny included and his coach has already been busted for drugging athletes. Last but not least you say you are superstitious. Where do the excuses end? If the other fighter is willing to do it why not you with so much at stake. I dont think the fight will ever happen because Manny want ever test.
It will be a huge blow if the fight never happens but I also think it will forever be a part of history and also try to better safe guard the sport we love and at the end of the day it will take presedence over everything else because it will have forever changed boxing in a better way and both guys will forever be synonous and attached to the changes made in the sport of boxing good or bad forever these two will have made a tremendous impact on boxing as we once knew it. Change happens. Boxers used to fight 15 rds. and beyond. Now they fight 12 rounds. They used to have to weigh in on the same day of the fight. Too many fighters were fighting dehydrated and they decided 24 hours was better. Time changes everything.”
