Although last Friday’s media conference call involving Manny Pacquiao and promoter Bob Arum was primarily to discuss the March 13 clash between the pound for pound king and former IBF welterweight champion Joshua Clottey in Dallas, Texas, inevitably the topic of conversation quickly turned to rival Floyd Matweather Jr.
It is common knowledge by now that March 13 was the date set in stone for Pacquiao and Mayweather Jr to tee off on one another to decide bragging rights to the title of world’s No.1 boxer. Considering the egos involved, the prize at stake and the financial rewards, negotiations for the fight pretty much went smoothly-until Team Mayweather insisted Olympic style dope testing be part of the contractual obligation.
It is an understatement to say that Pacquiao and Arum were enraged by such a request, they refused point blank and the fight was scrapped. A final nail in the coffin regarding any possibility of rescuing potentially the richest fight in boxing history was rammed home on December 30, 2009,when Pacquiao filed a lawsuit in Nevada federal court against Floyd Mayweather, Jr., Floyd Mayweather, Sr., Roger Mayweather, Mayweather Promotions, LLC, and Golden Boy Promotions executives Oscar de la Hoya, and Richard Schaefer for making false and defamatory statements accusing Pacquiao of taking performance-enhancing drugs.
Pacquiao insisted he still wanted to fight on March 13 and the bigger and stronger New York based Clottey was drafted in.
But the talk for this fight is still pretty much centred around the controversy of the Pacquiao/Mayweather Jr failed negotiations and allegations of drug taking.
Talking about Mayweather’s request that both fighters undertake Olympic style dope testing Arum gave the following opinion: “It causes chaos and it is wrong for one fighter to try to impose rules and regulations on the sport on another fighter.
“It is as silly as Alex Rodriguez striking out 4 times but a Red Sox pitcher saying I’m not going to face him again unless he takes a blood test. We cannot have that. We have commissions to do that. You make a request and if the commission feels that there is some validity the commission will then order whatever tests and the fighter, in order to fight in that state has to follow what the commission dictates.
Arum Added: “It’s not for a fighter to do this. In other words, two fighters can agree to fight without gloves or with 6-ounce gloves, but the commission would not allow it because it goes against the rules of the commission. This fight with Mayweather was supposed to be in Nevada and what he should have done is to go to the Nevada commission and requested it. But not to try to bully a fighter that comes from a different country into undergoing tests. Why? Because Mayweather said so? Because he was jealous of the man’s accomplishments? That is preposterous.
“The Nevada commission has in place, random testing and urinalysis, and they did it while the fighters were negotiating. No one is arguing against random testing. No one is arguing about urinalysis because it is not invasive. That’s already in place. The question is about blood testing and it’s not for you or me or anybody else to decide how important it is other than the applicable state where the fight is being held. Do I feel that random testing is valid? Yes, of course. Nevada has random urinalysis”
Pacquiao chipped in stating: “It has never been in boxing before that a fighter changed the rules. It is the fighter’s job to fight in the ring and is the promoter’s job and the commission’s job to make the rules for the fight.”
So, considering all of the aforementioned does Arum think that the fight every boxing fan on planet wants to see, will ever happen?
“Only if the Mayweather side agrees, they can have any testing they want, but those issues have to be brought before the commission where the fight is taking place,” insisted Arum. “No fighter is going to be able to dictate anything like that to a fighter of mine without going to the commission and petitioning them to adopt those rules.”
Pacquiao has other ideas he is not facing Mayweather Jr on March 13 “What I believe is Floyd Mayweather is not ready at this time to fight with me,” said Pacquiao.
“That’s why he makes the reasons to cancel the fight. I feel bad and disappointment because he is accusing me of using drugs or whatever and trying to ruin my name in boxing. People know I have been successful through God and hard work.
“Maybe he is afraid of me or maybe is not ready for this fight. I am disappointed at what he is accusing me of. I really feel bad but I have no anger toward him. This is boxing. That’s his style. We cannot change that because we are different.”
Regarding the latest news on the status of the lawsuit brought by Pacquiao against Mayweather, Jr., Floyd Mayweather, Sr., Roger Mayweather, Mayweather Promotions, LLC, and Oscar de la Hoya, and Richard Schaefer, Arum confirmed: “That lawsuit will establish beyond any doubt that these innuendos and assertions made by that whole group of defendants, Mayweather, Shaefer, De La Hoya, the other two Mayweather’s, have absolutely no basis in fact and are pulled out of thin air and are really fuelled only by jealousy. It is absolutely outrageous what these people have said. That will be affirmed in the court of law. They have not answered the complaint. They have to answer the complaint by the end of March. “
