GRAPEVINE, Texas - Floyd Mayweather Jr. was onto something when he asked that both he and Manny Pacquiao submit to Olympic style drug testing before the two met in the ring in a proposed welterweight mega fight.
Of course Pacquiao refused and the fight fell apart, which led to Pacquiao fighting Joshua Clottey in a 12-round welterweight match at Cowboys Stadium Saturday night.
In January German public television network ARD extended its contract with Sauerland Boxing through 2015 and added a stipulation that all of the boxers in the Berlin-based boxing stable, and their opponents, undergo Olympic Style drug testing as a condition of fighting on the network.
"We have a partner who has a lineup of world-class athletes, is a role model as far as drug testing is concerned and also is actively involved in charity as well as youth development programs," said Volker Herres, ARD director of programming. "We have a lot of young viewers and people who normally do not watch ARD - this is very important to us since we are there for everyone."
There was much kicking and screaming on the part of Pacquiao and his representatives about Mayweather trying to dictate a drug testing protocol to them. Bob Arum, Pacquiao's promoter, believes that any call for more stringent drug testing should come from the various state commissions and not the participants in the sport. But it seems ARD, which holds some major purse strings for boxing in Germany, has filled the void in a way that state commissions can't or won't.
Chris Meyer, general manager of Sauerland Boxing, said the network was reacting to public backlash over the use of performance enhancing drugs in sports, particularly in cycling. Meyer said the drug tests are conducted by the German National Anti-Doping Association under the auspices of the Austrian Boxing Commission.
"I know we owe this to the public. We're with ARD, it is a public-owned company, which means there is no private financing," Meyer said. "This is public money and has a different moral approach to be spent in a different way than private money. The moral standard is higher. Working with such a TV company means we have to fulfill these standards."
Thus far only one Sauerland boxer has run afoul of the newly instituted testing rule. Pablo Navascues of Spain lost his shot at Sebastian Sylvester's IBF Middleweight Title after testing positive for banned substances during a random training test. He was replaced by Billy Lyell, who suffered a tenth-round TKO on Jan. 30.
Sauerland represents two boxers, Arthur Abraham and Mikkel Kessler, who are involved in the Super Six Boxing tournament, a three-year, 168-pound round-robin that is currently being conducted in the U.S. and Europe and is being broadcast in America by Showtime. Abraham and Kessler have agreed to the German NADA protocols, which calls for athletes to inform testers of their whereabouts 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.
The U.S. boxers involved in the tournament have not been asked to undergo the Olympic style drug testing . . . yet.
"We obviously have no problem if it was something that was stipulated," said Dan Goossen, who promotes Andre Ward, a gold medalist for the U.S. team in the 2004 Olympic Games. Ward's first fight in the tournament was held in Oakland.
Sauerland Promotions, which bears the cost of the testing, is the only boxing company which has agreed to such a far-reaching drug testing program, which could become the wave of the future.
Meyer said thus far none of the boxers has balked at the testing, though they aren't happy about being on 24-hour alert to the German NADA testers.
"The first thing was, "Oh God, additional obligations and demands," Meyer said. "They have to follow a certain protocol. It is not minute-by-minute, but they should be traceable and available by phone. It's an inconvenience that they're not happy with. We pay them but our money comes from TV. If we don't get a TV deal then they may have a problem earning money."
Mayweather and Shane Mosley will fight in Las Vegas on May 1. The Nevada Commission has not asked for additional testing, but Mayweather and Mosley have agreed to undergo Olympic style testing before the match. It is a first for professional boxing in the U.S., and they're to be applauded for their stand.
ARD and Sauerland are already a step ahead.
"This is a milestone for boxing," Meyer said. "We have agreed to thorough testing. We have a zero-tolerance policy towards doping."
Source: nydailynews.com
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