ESPN staff
Kevin Mitchell has backed Floyd Mayweather Jnr's stance in his blood-testing row with Manny Pacquiao.
Mayweather Jnr has insisted that Pacquiao must agree to Olympic-style random blood testing ahead of any bout, but the Filipino is refusing to comply.
The stand-off between the pugilists is threatening to prove too large an obstacle to overcome in the bid to arrange the hotly-anticipated fight.
"I think Mayweather's got a fair point with the testing," Mitchell said. "If someone won't take a drug test then there's a problem there. Mayweather's taken the test so what's the big deal? I'm not sure about Pacquiao's reason for not giving blood - that he feels weakened by it. I've never felt weakened giving blood, though maybe it's different for him."
Mitchell, who takes on Michael Katsidis on May 15 for the WBO interim lightweight title, is eyeing up a future bout against revered Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez - who has twice faced off against Pacquiao. "After Katsidis, I want the big names," Mitchell said. "And the best has got to be Marquez."
Amir Khan is in action on the same night as the Mitchell-Katsidis clash, taking on Paulie Malignaggi in his first fight on American soil. Oscar De La Hoya, founder of Khan's promoters Golden Boy, is backing the Brit to become a "super-champion."
"Amir Khan, I believe, has the speed, power and passion I had," De La Hoya said. "Those are the attributes that helped me to become who I am in the sport of boxing. It really is a privilege to me to guide his career into something special for the future.
"What sets him apart is the passion I see in his eyes. Khan has the ability to become a super-champion, a legend."
© ESPN EMEA Ltd
Source: espn.co.uk
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