By GREG BISHOP, The New York Times
Promoters for Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao billed their potential bout as the fight of the century and the largest payday in boxing history. They settled on the site (the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas), the billing (Mayweather’s name first), even the $10 million penalty for each pound Mayweather weighed over the 147-pound limit.
But one issue threatens to derail the fight entirely: blood testing. And these negotiations are turning into a blood feud.
“This is a simple question,” said Leonard Ellerbe, chief executive of Mayweather Promotions. “If you have nothing to hide, then why not comply?”
To which Bob Arum, Pacquiao’s promoter and chief executive of Top Rank Boxing, responded: “This is a simple issue. Floyd Mayweather does not want this fight. And this is his way out. This is a smoke screen.”
No match in recent years means as much to boxing — in terms of publicity, dollars and relevance — as Mayweather versus Pacquiao. The two fighters are generally regarded as the best in the world. Last month Pacquiao achieved a first against Miguel Cotto, winning another title in his record seventh weight division. Mayweather holds an unblemished record.
As Richard Schaefer, another Mayweather promoter and the chief executive of Golden Boy Promotions, negotiated with Top Rank, he heard about this fight everywhere he went, heard the anticipation at dry cleaners and convenience stores and gas stations.
“If it doesn’t happen, it will be a big void for boxing,” Schaefer said. “It would be a setback, for the sport and for these fighters. Sometimes in sports you have these dream matchups, and this is certainly one of them.”
This boxing back-and-forth is nothing new, of course. In Pacquiao’s negotiations with Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton, both fights appeared at times unlikely, and both eventually took place, with Pacquiao winning each.
These negotiations are different because never before has a fighter demanded blood testing before a bout. Schaefer said the issue was included in the first draft of the proposal, about six weeks ago, but the divide became public Tuesday, when Mayweather’s camp issued a news release.
Mayweather wants the fighters to undergo Olympic-style drug testing as outlined by the United States Anti-Doping Agency. Currently, fighters are tested by the Nevada State Athletic Commission, with urine tests before and immediately after each fight. Neither Pacquiao nor Mayweather has failed a drug test.
Travis Tygart, the chief executive of Usada, said his organization has a checklist that it calls the matrix of effectiveness. It includes blood and urine testing, both in and out of competition. Blood tests, Tygart added, detect prohibited substances like human growth hormone, synthetic hemoglobin, designer EPO and blood transfusions, while urine tests do not.
Pacquiao has agreed to have his blood tested three times: in early January, when the fight was expected to be announced, 30 days before the fight and immediately after it. He also agreed to random urine testing.
But Tygart said the 30-day window would still allow an athlete plenty of time to dope with illegal substances not detectable by urine testing.
“That kind of window is totally unacceptable,” Tygart said. “It would provide a huge loophole for a cheater to step through and get away with cheating.”
Pacquiao’s camp said he had a problem with giving blood. Ellerbe then wondered why Pacquiao had tattoos if he has an aversion to needles. Arum said the issue was with the blood, not the needles.
Back and forth it goes. Mayweather’s advisers said they believed Pacquiao had not been fully informed of the testing procedures. They pointed out, and Tygart confirmed, that the test requires less than a teaspoon of blood, and that there are about 380 teaspoons in the body. They noted the athletes who have undergone this type of testing, including Kobe Bryant and Michael Phelps.
Arum countered with Top Rank’s preference: using the testing procedures of the N.F.L. or the N.B.A., organizations that he said “deal with professional athletes.” The issue is not the testing, Arum said, but who does it and when.
Lost in the bickering over blood testing is what this fight could mean to boxing — and the momentum and money the sport will lose if this issue becomes insurmountable. The bout would be expected to set records for pay-per-view buys, continuing boxing on the road to resurgence.
If both fighters agreed to the blood test, Tygart said, boxing could set itself apart from other sports by proving how seriously it takes performance-enhancing drugs.
The undercurrent running through both camps is that the fight will still be made, that a compromise will be reached. But none of the principals are willing to say that publicly. In fact, Arum said Pacquiao had already begun looking at three other fights — against Yuri Foreman, Paulie Malignaggi or a rematch against Juan Manuel Marquez.
If that happened, Ellerbe said, “it would be doing the sport an injustice.”
To which Arum responded: “This fight is not going to happen. Because Mayweather doesn’t want it to.”
Source: nytimes.com
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