By David Mayo, The Grand Rapids Press
Floyd Mayweather’s adviser said the Grand Rapids native still is intent on making a fight with Manny Pacquiao in light of a Monday deadline set by the Filipino boxer’s promoter.
If the fight doesn’t materialize, it will be because of Manny Pacquiao’s “unwillingness to take random blood and urine tests -- and I don’t understand why,” Leonard Ellerbe said.
Ellerbe reiterated the Mayweather camp’s position that only random Olympic-style blood testing for banned substances would be acceptable in order to make the fight.
Ellerbe was responding to remarks earlier Sunday, by Pacquiao’s promoter Bob Arum, that Mayweather would have to drop the drug-testing caveat and make a deal by Monday or the proposed March 13 fight would not materialize.
Arum initially said Pacquiao would agree to blood tests at a January press conference where the fight was to be announced, another test no more than 30 days before the fight, and a final one after the fight.
The Mayweather camp balked at that proposal.
“The whole idea of doing scheduled blood and urine testing is absurd,” Ellerbe said.
Arum also proposed putting the blood-testing issue in the hands of the Nevada Athletic Commission, which has no mechanism for enforcing such testing.
“With all due respect to the Nevada commission, Keith Kizer has publicly gone on record and said they wouldn’t be able to handle this particular issue at this particular time,” Ellerbe said.
Arum last week said if Mayweather-Pacquiao doesn’t materialize, he would begin negotiations for a different fight for Pacquiao, possibly against Paulie Malignaggi.
Ellerbe said Mayweather has not begun working toward a backup plan.
“Our focus is on making a deal,” he said.
E-mail David Mayo at dmayo@grpress.com and follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/David_Mayo
Source: mlive.com
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