heraldscotland staff
The proposed megafight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr has been thrown into doubt after a demand by Mayweather’s camp that both fighters be subjected to Olympic-type drug testing in the weeks leading up to the bout.
Leonard Ellerbe, Mayweather’s manager, said the fight would not go ahead if Pacquiao did not agree to blood testing under standards followed by the United States Anti-Doping Agency.
However, Bob Arum, Pacquiao’s promoter countered by saying that the fight would be called off if Mayweather’s camp did not back off, adding that using blood tests for the highly anticipated fight on March 13 was unprecedented for professional fights in Las Vegas.
The bickering began earlier yesterday, with Mayweather’s team claiming they were told Pacquiao, right, would not agree to have his blood tested within 30 days of the fight because of personal superstitions. But Pacquiao’s trainer, Freddie Roach, rejected that, saying he could live with some testing, as long as it was not too close to the fight nor overly intrusive.
“I will not let my fighter take a blood test the day before a fight,” Roach said. “If they give me a five-day window or something like that I have no problem with it.”
Roach said he hoped the issue wasn’t brought up as a way to get Mayweather out of the fight. “He’s looking for a back door out,” Roach said. “We’re eager to fight.”
Arum, though, went further. “As far as I’m concerned, the fight is off,” he said. “We don’t object to more extensive drug testing, even though it’s certainly not required in Nevada. What we’re saying is that the drug testing he is proposing is intrusive and would disturb Pacquiao’s training if it’s done within 30 days of his fight.”
The fight, which promises to be the richest of all time, had been expected to be formalised this week and is expected to be held at the MGM Grand hotel, with the biggest live gate ever.
Neither fighter has signed formal contracts, though, and there have been disputes between representatives of the two fighters ever since Mayweather’s promoter pulled out at the last minute of a trip to Texas, where the Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was to make a proposal to host the bout.
Pacquiao has never failed a post-fight urine test in Nevada, including his last fight when he stopped Miguel Cotto. Mayweather also has passed urine tests in the state after his fights. Boxers, though, are not routinely tested before bouts for performance-enhancing drugs, and there are no blood tests done for those drugs.
Mayweather’s father, Floyd Sr, said after the Cotto fight that he suspected Pacquiao was using performance-enhancing drugs to move up and win titles in so many weight classes.
Ellerbe did not make that claim, however, he said that for a fight of such magnitude fans deserve to be confident that neither fighter is cheating.
“If it’s good enough for LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Michael Phelps and Lance Armstrong why isn’t it good enough for Manny Pacquiao?” Ellerbe asked. “The fans and sports deserve a level playing field.”
Travis Tygart, executive director of the USADA, said he had talked to representatives of both fighters about providing testing and said he welcomed the request as he would for any sport that does not have stringent Olympic-type testing.
Blood tests, he said, can find things urine tests can’t, like the use of human growth hormone, synthetic hemoglobin or blood transfusions.
Source: heraldscotland.com
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