By Tim Smith, New York Daily News
The decision by Andre Berto to pull out of his welterweight unification match against Shane Mosley in Las Vegas on Jan. 30 has presented Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Mosley a unique opportunity to advance their sport into a realm where most professional sports dare to tread - performance-enhancing drug testing through the random sampling of blood and urine.
Because of the tragedy in Haiti and Berto's concerns over missing relatives and friends in the earthquake-ravaged country, he pulled out of the fight, leaving Mosley with an opening on his dance card. And because negotiations broke down for a fight between Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao over the issue of random blood testing for PEDs, Mayweather also has an opening.
It is a marriage of convenience that could take place in Las Vegas on May 1 or May 8. And it is a marriage that could yield exceptional fruits for both fighters with regard to their credibility.
Since Mayweather demanded that Pacquiao be subjected to Olympic-style drug testing, he must make the same request of Mosley, who by his own admission before a federal grand jury has taken designer steroids called the "clear" and the "cream" and used EPO, a blood-enhancing agent that is supposed to increase stamina.
If Mayweather doesn't make the same demands of Mosley, then his demands of Pacquiao will ring hollow and look like a ploy to get underneath the Filipino's skin for some questionable psychological advantage. If Mosley refuses to undergo those testing procedures, then he falls under the same suspicion as Pacquiao.
Mayweather and Mosley both need to step forward and say that they are willing to undergo such testing because they want to advance the sport of boxing beyond the norm when it comes to testing for PEDs. It will strike a blow for what Mayweather called "a level playing field," which is why he deemed it necessary to request it of Pacquiao in their contract negotiations for the fight.
Mosley never tested positive for steroids, although he underwent the same testing procedures all boxers go through in Nevada, California and New York. However, those commission tests of urine only aren't random and are mostly conducted after fights. They aren't the gold standard for catching serious drug cheats.
Meanwhile, Pacquiao made a date at the new Dallas Cowboys stadium to fight Joshua Clottey on March 13, the first boxing match at the $1.2 billion stadium.
Source: nydailynews.com
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