ESPN.com
Wednesday, 6 January 2010
Fans blame Floyd Jr. for Pacquiao fight impasse -- GMA News
GMA News
Fight fans are blaming Floyd Mayweather Jr. for derailing his March 13 gig with Manny Pacquiao and forcing their camps to undergo mediation to salvage the mega-bout, results of an online poll showed.
According to 73% of the 9,730 respondents in the Los Angeles Times’ poll “Who do you blame for the Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather impasse?" the flamboyant American is at fault in the impasse brought about by his demand for an Olympic-style drug testing.
The Mayweather camp, suggesting that Pacquiao has been using performance-enhancing drugs, has demanded that the two undergo random, Olympic-style drug testing to be supervised by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency.
Pacquiao and his promoter Bob Arum have rejected the idea, but are amenable to do blood and urine testing under a certain period of time and to be handled by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
The issue got worse when the Pacman sued the Mayweathers and Golden Boy Promotions executives Oscar De La Hoya and Richard Schaefer for defamation over the dope insinuations.
The two fighters’ representatives met for nine hours before a mediator, retired federal judge Daniel Weinstein, on Tuesday in San Diego, California (Wednesday in Manila) but apparently did not reach an agreement yet.
A gag order has been issued on the two parties but ESPN Deportes’ Jaime Mota quoted one lawyer for Top Rank as saying: “Mediation is still ongoing."
It was not clear whether the two groups will again meet up Wednesday (Thursday in Manila) for a new round of talks.
For most fans (at least 7,085 of the voters who answered the poll as of Wednesday 6 p.m., Manila time), though, it wouldn’t have reached this point if not for Mayweather.
A total of 1,779 voters (18% of the respondents), meanwhile, pinned the blame on Mayweather’s promoters and managers while 615 (6%) pointed to Pacquiao and 251 (3%) tagged Arum at fault.
One of the respondents, Art C, described Mayweather as too demanding.
“He wants to impose his own rule into the boxing world... Why not stick into Nevada (Commission) rules? He's into psy war...he wants his opponents to fall into it... Poor Mayweather!!! Come on!... Face Manny Pacquiao inside the ring...," he commented.
Another respondent, using the moniker el mejico, called Mayweather’s demand as a show of fear of the Filipino ring icon, who comes off a masterful 11th round TKO of Miguel Cotto.
“He’s a coward. Especially after Pacquiao’s fight with Cotto, (Team Mayweather) thinks of any strategy they could think of to their advantage because there’s no way they could beat Pacman when it comes to true boxing, fist to fist, toe to toe. (Mayweather) knows what he’s doing. In order to retain his undefeated record, he tries to find a way to avoid the fight.
"But it comes to a point where he has no choice but to choose a loss for the sake of money," he said.
However, some find Mayweather’s Olympic-style dope testing within reason.
“I don't see the problem with Mayweather's request and although I understand Manny's posture as well, blood testing should be added to the sport since urinalysis is not enough to ensure a level playing field as evidenced by Shane Mosley who never tested positive in a urinalysis but was rather discovered later in the BALCO list (which shoots down Manny's argument that he has never failed a urine test ... neither did Shane)," voter jv said.
The Pacquiao-Mayweather duel is projected to be the richest fight in history, with both fighters standing to earn $25 million, according to the Associated Press.
Should the mediation fail, Team Pacquiao has expressed its desire to tap junior middleweight champion Yuri Foreman for a fight on March 20, giving the Filipino pride a shot at a record eighth division title while Mayweather could lock mitts with Paulie Malignaggi at the MGM Grand on March 13. - GMANews.TV with reports from AP
Source: gmanews.tv
Fight fans are blaming Floyd Mayweather Jr. for derailing his March 13 gig with Manny Pacquiao and forcing their camps to undergo mediation to salvage the mega-bout, results of an online poll showed.
According to 73% of the 9,730 respondents in the Los Angeles Times’ poll “Who do you blame for the Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather impasse?" the flamboyant American is at fault in the impasse brought about by his demand for an Olympic-style drug testing.
The Mayweather camp, suggesting that Pacquiao has been using performance-enhancing drugs, has demanded that the two undergo random, Olympic-style drug testing to be supervised by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency.
Pacquiao and his promoter Bob Arum have rejected the idea, but are amenable to do blood and urine testing under a certain period of time and to be handled by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
The issue got worse when the Pacman sued the Mayweathers and Golden Boy Promotions executives Oscar De La Hoya and Richard Schaefer for defamation over the dope insinuations.
The two fighters’ representatives met for nine hours before a mediator, retired federal judge Daniel Weinstein, on Tuesday in San Diego, California (Wednesday in Manila) but apparently did not reach an agreement yet.
A gag order has been issued on the two parties but ESPN Deportes’ Jaime Mota quoted one lawyer for Top Rank as saying: “Mediation is still ongoing."
It was not clear whether the two groups will again meet up Wednesday (Thursday in Manila) for a new round of talks.
For most fans (at least 7,085 of the voters who answered the poll as of Wednesday 6 p.m., Manila time), though, it wouldn’t have reached this point if not for Mayweather.
A total of 1,779 voters (18% of the respondents), meanwhile, pinned the blame on Mayweather’s promoters and managers while 615 (6%) pointed to Pacquiao and 251 (3%) tagged Arum at fault.
One of the respondents, Art C, described Mayweather as too demanding.
“He wants to impose his own rule into the boxing world... Why not stick into Nevada (Commission) rules? He's into psy war...he wants his opponents to fall into it... Poor Mayweather!!! Come on!... Face Manny Pacquiao inside the ring...," he commented.
Another respondent, using the moniker el mejico, called Mayweather’s demand as a show of fear of the Filipino ring icon, who comes off a masterful 11th round TKO of Miguel Cotto.
“He’s a coward. Especially after Pacquiao’s fight with Cotto, (Team Mayweather) thinks of any strategy they could think of to their advantage because there’s no way they could beat Pacman when it comes to true boxing, fist to fist, toe to toe. (Mayweather) knows what he’s doing. In order to retain his undefeated record, he tries to find a way to avoid the fight.
"But it comes to a point where he has no choice but to choose a loss for the sake of money," he said.
However, some find Mayweather’s Olympic-style dope testing within reason.
“I don't see the problem with Mayweather's request and although I understand Manny's posture as well, blood testing should be added to the sport since urinalysis is not enough to ensure a level playing field as evidenced by Shane Mosley who never tested positive in a urinalysis but was rather discovered later in the BALCO list (which shoots down Manny's argument that he has never failed a urine test ... neither did Shane)," voter jv said.
The Pacquiao-Mayweather duel is projected to be the richest fight in history, with both fighters standing to earn $25 million, according to the Associated Press.
Should the mediation fail, Team Pacquiao has expressed its desire to tap junior middleweight champion Yuri Foreman for a fight on March 20, giving the Filipino pride a shot at a record eighth division title while Mayweather could lock mitts with Paulie Malignaggi at the MGM Grand on March 13. - GMANews.TV with reports from AP
Source: gmanews.tv
Groups were in mediation for 9 hours -- ESPN
By Dan Rafael, ESPN.com
After nine hours in mediation on Tuesday, the camps of Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. did not reach a resolution in their effort to overcome their differences in finalizing a super fight between the top two pound-for-pound fighters in the world.
If a deal is reached, the welterweight title bout is supposed to take place March 13 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Top Rank's Bob Arum and Todd duBoef, along with their legal team, Golden Boy's Richard Schaefer, Oscar De La Hoya, their legal team, and Mayweather manager Al Haymon spent the day with mediator Daniel Weinstein at offices in Santa Monica, Calif., hoping to pave the way for potentially the richest fight in boxing history.
On Monday, Arum said the fighters were supposed to have been available by telephone.
After beginning the process at 9:30 a.m. PT and leaving at approximately 6:30 p.m. PT, no deal had been reached.
"Mediation is still ongoing," one of Top Rank's lawyers told ESPN Deportes' Jaime Mota.
Weinstein has placed a gag order on all parties.
It is unclear if the talks will resume on Wednesday.
When reached on his cell phone, Arum said he had no comment because of the mediator's gag order. DuBoef said the same thing in an e-mail to ESPN.com. Schaefer did not respond to a message.
Weinstein, a retired federal judge, knows the parties well. He mediated a June 2007 settlement when Top Rank and Golden Boy were embroiled in a series of lawsuits, including a brutal battle over ownership of the promotional rights to Pacquiao, who had signed contracts with both companies before eventually pledging his loyalty to Top Rank.
Under that agreement, the various lawsuits were dropped and Top Rank retained Pacquiao's promotional rights, with Golden Boy receiving a percentage of Top Rank's profits from his bouts.
The agreement worked well for the past two years as the companies co-promoted several major bouts, including Pacquiao-Ricky Hatton, Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez II, Pacquiao-Marco Antonio Barrera II, Bernard Hopkins-Kelly Pavlik and Miguel Cotto-Shane Mosley.
But the bad blood boiled again during the final stages of negotiations for Pacquiao-Mayweather.
They had agreed to everything in the deal except for the method of drug testing for the boxers.
Although the Nevada State Athletic Commission, which would oversee the bout, requires only urine testing, Mayweather has insisted on random blood testing. Both sides have already agreed to unlimited random urine testing.
Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38 KOs), who didn't want any blood testing, agreed to take three blood tests: one during the week of the kickoff news conference, which would take place next week if they can make a deal, one random test to be conducted no later than 30 days before the fight and a final test in his dressing room after the fight. Mayweather (40-0, 25 KOs) would be subject to the same testing procedures.
Besides Weinstein trying to mediate a resolution to the drug testing issue, there is also the matter of the defamation lawsuit Pacquiao filed last week in Nevada U.S. District Court against Mayweather Jr., Schaefer, De La Hoya, Floyd Mayweather Sr., Roger Mayweather and Mayweather Promotions.
Pacquiao alleges that they made false and defamatory statements and sullied his reputation by accusing him of taking performance-enhancing drugs. Pacquiao denies he has ever used PEDs and has never failed a drug test.
At issue is also Golden Boy's continued involvement in Pacquaio's contract. With Golden Boy representing Mayweather and allegedly accusing Pacquiao of using performance enhancing drugs, Arum believes it has diminished Pacquiao and that Golden Boy should no longer be entitled to share in the money his bouts generate, especially when it also is making money off Mayweather.
If the mediation fails, Arum has repeatedly said he will match Pacquiao with junior middleweight titlist Yuri Foreman, whom he also promotes, on March 20 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas so Pacquiao could attempt to win a title in a record-extending eighth weight division.
Mayweather could still fight on March 13 at the MGM Grand and potentially face former junior welterweight titlist Paulie Malignaggi.
Dan Rafael covers boxing for ESPN.com.
Source: sports.espn.go.com
After nine hours in mediation on Tuesday, the camps of Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. did not reach a resolution in their effort to overcome their differences in finalizing a super fight between the top two pound-for-pound fighters in the world.
If a deal is reached, the welterweight title bout is supposed to take place March 13 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Top Rank's Bob Arum and Todd duBoef, along with their legal team, Golden Boy's Richard Schaefer, Oscar De La Hoya, their legal team, and Mayweather manager Al Haymon spent the day with mediator Daniel Weinstein at offices in Santa Monica, Calif., hoping to pave the way for potentially the richest fight in boxing history.
On Monday, Arum said the fighters were supposed to have been available by telephone.
After beginning the process at 9:30 a.m. PT and leaving at approximately 6:30 p.m. PT, no deal had been reached.
"Mediation is still ongoing," one of Top Rank's lawyers told ESPN Deportes' Jaime Mota.
Weinstein has placed a gag order on all parties.
It is unclear if the talks will resume on Wednesday.
When reached on his cell phone, Arum said he had no comment because of the mediator's gag order. DuBoef said the same thing in an e-mail to ESPN.com. Schaefer did not respond to a message.
Weinstein, a retired federal judge, knows the parties well. He mediated a June 2007 settlement when Top Rank and Golden Boy were embroiled in a series of lawsuits, including a brutal battle over ownership of the promotional rights to Pacquiao, who had signed contracts with both companies before eventually pledging his loyalty to Top Rank.
Under that agreement, the various lawsuits were dropped and Top Rank retained Pacquiao's promotional rights, with Golden Boy receiving a percentage of Top Rank's profits from his bouts.
The agreement worked well for the past two years as the companies co-promoted several major bouts, including Pacquiao-Ricky Hatton, Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez II, Pacquiao-Marco Antonio Barrera II, Bernard Hopkins-Kelly Pavlik and Miguel Cotto-Shane Mosley.
But the bad blood boiled again during the final stages of negotiations for Pacquiao-Mayweather.
They had agreed to everything in the deal except for the method of drug testing for the boxers.
Although the Nevada State Athletic Commission, which would oversee the bout, requires only urine testing, Mayweather has insisted on random blood testing. Both sides have already agreed to unlimited random urine testing.
Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38 KOs), who didn't want any blood testing, agreed to take three blood tests: one during the week of the kickoff news conference, which would take place next week if they can make a deal, one random test to be conducted no later than 30 days before the fight and a final test in his dressing room after the fight. Mayweather (40-0, 25 KOs) would be subject to the same testing procedures.
Besides Weinstein trying to mediate a resolution to the drug testing issue, there is also the matter of the defamation lawsuit Pacquiao filed last week in Nevada U.S. District Court against Mayweather Jr., Schaefer, De La Hoya, Floyd Mayweather Sr., Roger Mayweather and Mayweather Promotions.
Pacquiao alleges that they made false and defamatory statements and sullied his reputation by accusing him of taking performance-enhancing drugs. Pacquiao denies he has ever used PEDs and has never failed a drug test.
At issue is also Golden Boy's continued involvement in Pacquaio's contract. With Golden Boy representing Mayweather and allegedly accusing Pacquiao of using performance enhancing drugs, Arum believes it has diminished Pacquiao and that Golden Boy should no longer be entitled to share in the money his bouts generate, especially when it also is making money off Mayweather.
If the mediation fails, Arum has repeatedly said he will match Pacquiao with junior middleweight titlist Yuri Foreman, whom he also promotes, on March 20 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas so Pacquiao could attempt to win a title in a record-extending eighth weight division.
Mayweather could still fight on March 13 at the MGM Grand and potentially face former junior welterweight titlist Paulie Malignaggi.
Dan Rafael covers boxing for ESPN.com.
Source: sports.espn.go.com
Reps for Pacquiao, Mayweather Mum on Mediation Day -- ABC News
By GREG BEACHAM, AP Sports Writer
Representatives for Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. wrapped up a lengthy mediation session Tuesday night with no word on any progress on the drug-testing issues endangering the boxers' prospective March 13 bout.
Pacquiao promoter Bob Arum and Mayweather's promotional team all said they had been told to make no public comments after their meeting in Santa Monica. The mediation finished nearly nine hours after it began in front of Daniel Weinstein, a retired federal judge.
Arum's Top Rank and Mayweather's representatives at Golden Boy Promotions agreed to the mediation in an effort to resolve their dispute over the methods and frequency of drug testing for the bout, which will be held at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas if a compromise is reached.
Although both fighters have agreed to extensive urine testing, Mayweather has demanded random blood testing as well. Pacquiao has balked at unlimited blood testing, instead proposing two blood tests before the fight and another immediately afterward.
Pacquiao also complicated the negotiations by filing a lawsuit last week alleging Mayweather and most of his camp's key players defamed him by falsely accusing him of using performance-enhancing drugs.
Neither side would say whether more mediation will be held Wednesday, but the length of Tuesday's meeting appeared to be a positive development for the potential fight. If little progress could be made, the session likely would have been scrapped early, with the sport's top two fighters moving on to replacement bouts instead of meeting in what's expected to be the richest fight in boxing history.
After impressive pay-per-view numbers in their most recent bouts last year, both fighters stand to make more than $25 million in their welterweight meeting. Except for drug testing, the camps have settled every significant detail of the fight, according to Arum and Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer.
If the fight falls through, Pacquiao is expected to attempt to win a title in a record eighth weight division with a bout against 154-pound champion Yuri Foreman in Las Vegas on March 20, while Mayweather could fight former 140-pound champion Paulie Malignaggi at the MGM Grand on March 13.
Boxing's two most prominent promotional companies have appeared before Weinstein in the past, including a session in 2007 in which they resolved the promotional rights to Pacquiao, who had deals with both companies at one point.
Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Source: ABC News
Representatives for Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. wrapped up a lengthy mediation session Tuesday night with no word on any progress on the drug-testing issues endangering the boxers' prospective March 13 bout.
Pacquiao promoter Bob Arum and Mayweather's promotional team all said they had been told to make no public comments after their meeting in Santa Monica. The mediation finished nearly nine hours after it began in front of Daniel Weinstein, a retired federal judge.
Arum's Top Rank and Mayweather's representatives at Golden Boy Promotions agreed to the mediation in an effort to resolve their dispute over the methods and frequency of drug testing for the bout, which will be held at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas if a compromise is reached.
Although both fighters have agreed to extensive urine testing, Mayweather has demanded random blood testing as well. Pacquiao has balked at unlimited blood testing, instead proposing two blood tests before the fight and another immediately afterward.
Pacquiao also complicated the negotiations by filing a lawsuit last week alleging Mayweather and most of his camp's key players defamed him by falsely accusing him of using performance-enhancing drugs.
Neither side would say whether more mediation will be held Wednesday, but the length of Tuesday's meeting appeared to be a positive development for the potential fight. If little progress could be made, the session likely would have been scrapped early, with the sport's top two fighters moving on to replacement bouts instead of meeting in what's expected to be the richest fight in boxing history.
After impressive pay-per-view numbers in their most recent bouts last year, both fighters stand to make more than $25 million in their welterweight meeting. Except for drug testing, the camps have settled every significant detail of the fight, according to Arum and Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer.
If the fight falls through, Pacquiao is expected to attempt to win a title in a record eighth weight division with a bout against 154-pound champion Yuri Foreman in Las Vegas on March 20, while Mayweather could fight former 140-pound champion Paulie Malignaggi at the MGM Grand on March 13.
Boxing's two most prominent promotional companies have appeared before Weinstein in the past, including a session in 2007 in which they resolved the promotional rights to Pacquiao, who had deals with both companies at one point.
Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Source: ABC News
Nine Hours Later, Mayweather-Pacquiao Mediation 'Ongoing' -- FanHouse
By Lem Satterfield, FanHouse
The status with what could be the most lucrative boxing match in history, tentatively slated for March 13 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas between five-time champion, Floyd Mayweather, and seven-division king, Manny Pacquiao, still was unclear following Tuesday's nearly nine-hour, mediation meeting between the fighters' representatives and retired federal judge, Daniel Weinstein.
Top Rank Promotions CEO Bob Arum, and his stepson, Top Rank president, Todd duBoef, were among the first to emerge from the session, which took place at Weinstein's Santa Monica office of Judicial Arbitration and Mediation Services (JAMS).
Arum, who promotes Pacquiao, indicated to FanHouse's on-site columnist, David Whitley, that the parties were instructed by Weinstein not to comment.
Later, Oscar De La Hoya, president of Golden Boy Promotions, and Golden Boy CEO, Richard Schaefer, emerged with others.
"No comment, no comment," said De La Hoya. "By the judges order, no comment."
A gag order is in place for the participants of the meeting, which began at 9:30 a.m. and ended shortly before Arum and duBoef emerged at approximately 6:10 p.m.
One source, with knowledge of the talks, said, "The negotiations are ongoing."
It is unclear if that means that the parties will return and resume talks on Wednesday or not.
Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38 knockouts) has filed a defamation of character lawsuit seeking damages in excess of $75,000, contending that the camp of Mayweather (40-0, 25 KOs) has damaged his reputation by demanding that both fighters be randomly drug-tested using urinalysis as well as blood work.
The suit was filed on Wednesday filed a lawsuit on behalf of Pacquiao seeking compensatory and punitive damages from Schaefer and De La Hoya of Golden Boy Promotions, as well as Floyd Mayweather Jr., Floyd Mayweather Sr., and the fighter's uncle, Roger Mayweather.
Mayweather's camp, which Pacquiao says has accused him of using steroids, initially wanted the Olympic-style, random blood-testing to be done by the United States Anti-Doping Agency, but has softened its stance on that notion.
Neither Pacquiao, nor Mayweather has ever tested positive for any banned substances, but the blood-testing procedure -- random or otherwise -- never has been used to detect illegal drug use in boxing.
Source: boxing.fanhouse.com
The status with what could be the most lucrative boxing match in history, tentatively slated for March 13 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas between five-time champion, Floyd Mayweather, and seven-division king, Manny Pacquiao, still was unclear following Tuesday's nearly nine-hour, mediation meeting between the fighters' representatives and retired federal judge, Daniel Weinstein.
Top Rank Promotions CEO Bob Arum, and his stepson, Top Rank president, Todd duBoef, were among the first to emerge from the session, which took place at Weinstein's Santa Monica office of Judicial Arbitration and Mediation Services (JAMS).
Arum, who promotes Pacquiao, indicated to FanHouse's on-site columnist, David Whitley, that the parties were instructed by Weinstein not to comment.
Later, Oscar De La Hoya, president of Golden Boy Promotions, and Golden Boy CEO, Richard Schaefer, emerged with others.
"No comment, no comment," said De La Hoya. "By the judges order, no comment."
A gag order is in place for the participants of the meeting, which began at 9:30 a.m. and ended shortly before Arum and duBoef emerged at approximately 6:10 p.m.
One source, with knowledge of the talks, said, "The negotiations are ongoing."
It is unclear if that means that the parties will return and resume talks on Wednesday or not.
Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38 knockouts) has filed a defamation of character lawsuit seeking damages in excess of $75,000, contending that the camp of Mayweather (40-0, 25 KOs) has damaged his reputation by demanding that both fighters be randomly drug-tested using urinalysis as well as blood work.
The suit was filed on Wednesday filed a lawsuit on behalf of Pacquiao seeking compensatory and punitive damages from Schaefer and De La Hoya of Golden Boy Promotions, as well as Floyd Mayweather Jr., Floyd Mayweather Sr., and the fighter's uncle, Roger Mayweather.
Mayweather's camp, which Pacquiao says has accused him of using steroids, initially wanted the Olympic-style, random blood-testing to be done by the United States Anti-Doping Agency, but has softened its stance on that notion.
Neither Pacquiao, nor Mayweather has ever tested positive for any banned substances, but the blood-testing procedure -- random or otherwise -- never has been used to detect illegal drug use in boxing.
Source: boxing.fanhouse.com
Throwback shadowboxing at its best -- ESPN
By Tim Keown, ESPN.com
For those of us who long for the days when boxing was the sporting world's crazy uncle, the past few weeks have provided us with a nice hit of nostalgia. Scurrilous allegations, defamation suits and a heavily tattooed man claiming a fear of needles -- Mayweather-Pacquiao isn't Tyson-McNeeley, but it'll do.
Maybe it had to be this way. It's the one fight everyone wants to see, the one fight that could put boxing on the big stage for a solid week in March, and the one fight that could create a Super Bowl-like buzz on a spring Saturday night. So maybe it's fitting that it might not happen over a move straight out of boxing's crazy old days. Floyd Mayweather Jr. is demanding that Manny Pacquiao prove himself innocent of a transgression that only Mayweather and his people are alleging.
This is a tactic worthy of the best disinformation campaigns. You issue a damning proclamation and then stand back and let everyone else deny it. This is what Mayweather's people seem to be doing by asking Pacquiao to submit to random blood testing to prove that he's not using performance-enhancing drugs, whether it be steroids or HGH. And since Pacquiao refuses to consent to anything beyond unlimited urine tests, Mayweather's people can sit back and say, "See? See what we're talking about?"
I know what you're thinking: If Pacquiao doesn't have anything to hide, why doesn't he agree to blood testing? That's become the default position in today's society. Stop at this checkpoint, walk through this machine, hold your arms out for the wand. Not to get too broad here, but we've become so accustomed to proving our innocence in everyday life that we forgot how the system is supposed to work.
This isn't a guy looking to board a plane. This is a guy who is being accused of a crime by the other side, and he's being called upon to prove his innocence despite the complete absence of evidence suggesting guilt.
They cite Pacquiao's ascent through weight classes as circumstantial evidence, but going from a 106-pounder at 16 years old to a 147-pounder at 31 isn't unprecedented. In fact, Mayweather has made a similar run through weight classes starting from his Golden Gloves days. As a 16-year-old in 1993, Mayweather won the national Golden Gloves at 106. The next year, he won at 112; and in '96, he won at 125. Despite the Mayweather camp's insistence on a "level playing field," this isn't similar to a guy hitting 73 homers after never having hit 50.
Clearly, nobody wants to discuss civil liberties; the presumption of guilt is easier and more convenient. Pacquiao's people have cited a dislike of needles as a reason for his refusal to submit to blood testing, and that point has been justifiably mocked by those who cite his obvious like of tattoos. More than needles, it's likely Pacquiao dislikes being singled out, and dislikes being presumed guilty despite never failing a drug test.
This isn't to say that it's totally out of the question that Pacquiao is juicing, or HGHing, or blood-doping, or ingesting something a chemist in the Philippines just realized can make a man's punch mimic a donkey kick. He's got motive (his own legacy) and opportunity (more than enough money), but you could say the same about Mayweather or any other big-time athlete. It's one thing to wonder without proof, another to openly allege without proof.
(Mayweather's people did agree to pay a $10 million fine if he comes in overweight, but that clause came about because he did come in overweight for his last fight, against Juan Manuel Marquez. There is no correlative concerning Pacquiao and performance-enhancing drugs. And that's why Pacquiao filed a defamation suit on Jan. 1.)
There should be a consistent system in place to test boxers -- it's a safety issue as much as anything. And yes, Mayweather is agreeing to the same blood testing his people are demanding of Pacquiao. But I don't blame Pacquiao for rebelling against an arbitrary system that is accompanied by underhanded suggestions that he owes his success to cheating.
Even though most of our innocence has been shredded by the past 15 years of enhancement, there is such a thing as natural greatness. There are people who do things nobody else can do. Both of these guys fit the description.
I've spent time with both men, having been fortunate enough to hang around in both camps as a fly on the wall while reporting profiles for ESPN The Magazine, and their actions in this nutty back-and-forth are perfectly consistent with their personalities.
Mayweather is a gamesman, a master tactician in and out of the ring. He talks a lot and manages to infiltrate the minds of his opponents before they step into the ring. He's all flash and dash, but he studies the game and is fiercely proud of his legacy as an undefeated fighter. He has a reputation for ducking lesser fighters than Pacquiao to retain that distinction. But this fight is so big, and the potential payoff so preposterous, that Mayweather almost has no choice but to take it. That has led some in the Pacquiao camp to conclude that Floyd is using the drug issue as a straw man either to get out of the fight or to use as an excuse if he were to lose.
While I was with him in Las Vegas before his fight with Oscar De La Hoya, in the spring of '07, for no apparent reason Floyd began counting out $100 bills on the apron of a ring at his training camp. Coupled with his ceaseless, caustic banter, it managed to be hilarious and slightly sad at the same time. His almost fetishistic relationship with money -- acquiring it and spending it, reportedly at roughly the same rate -- creates the impression of a shallow man. When it comes to boxing, though, he trains maniacally to preserve his legacy.
Mayweather's sense of his own importance is epic, even amid the false-idol world of the superstar athlete. Among his contingent of helpers was a guy whose only apparent responsibility was to start Mayweather's car so that it was running when he got in.
Pacquiao has a contingent, too -- family members and friends who live with him and rush around to be first to cater to his next need. When he was training for the Ricky Hatton bout last March, I spent a few hours in his Beverly Hills apartment watching people bring in groceries and cook while Manny sat on a couch getting a massage. The competition for relevance among Pacquiao's people is so great that some of them battle to see who can sleep on the floor at the head of his bed.
In other words, they both live in worlds far removed from yours and mine, which makes it difficult to ascertain their thoughts. Even venturing a guess is like taking a trip through an alien world. One thing is for sure: Mayweather is the bigger man and the bigger draw and the bigger personality. He has more to lose than Pacquiao. Much like his fighting style, he is poking and prodding, careful to stay just out of reach. Mayweather has always been the master technician. This time, the ring is optional.
ESPN The Magazine senior writer Tim Keown co-wrote Josh Hamilton's autobiography, "Beyond Belief: Finding the Strength to Come Back," which is available on Amazon.com. Sound off to Tim here.
Source: sports.espn.go.com
For those of us who long for the days when boxing was the sporting world's crazy uncle, the past few weeks have provided us with a nice hit of nostalgia. Scurrilous allegations, defamation suits and a heavily tattooed man claiming a fear of needles -- Mayweather-Pacquiao isn't Tyson-McNeeley, but it'll do.
Maybe it had to be this way. It's the one fight everyone wants to see, the one fight that could put boxing on the big stage for a solid week in March, and the one fight that could create a Super Bowl-like buzz on a spring Saturday night. So maybe it's fitting that it might not happen over a move straight out of boxing's crazy old days. Floyd Mayweather Jr. is demanding that Manny Pacquiao prove himself innocent of a transgression that only Mayweather and his people are alleging.
This is a tactic worthy of the best disinformation campaigns. You issue a damning proclamation and then stand back and let everyone else deny it. This is what Mayweather's people seem to be doing by asking Pacquiao to submit to random blood testing to prove that he's not using performance-enhancing drugs, whether it be steroids or HGH. And since Pacquiao refuses to consent to anything beyond unlimited urine tests, Mayweather's people can sit back and say, "See? See what we're talking about?"
I know what you're thinking: If Pacquiao doesn't have anything to hide, why doesn't he agree to blood testing? That's become the default position in today's society. Stop at this checkpoint, walk through this machine, hold your arms out for the wand. Not to get too broad here, but we've become so accustomed to proving our innocence in everyday life that we forgot how the system is supposed to work.
This isn't a guy looking to board a plane. This is a guy who is being accused of a crime by the other side, and he's being called upon to prove his innocence despite the complete absence of evidence suggesting guilt.
They cite Pacquiao's ascent through weight classes as circumstantial evidence, but going from a 106-pounder at 16 years old to a 147-pounder at 31 isn't unprecedented. In fact, Mayweather has made a similar run through weight classes starting from his Golden Gloves days. As a 16-year-old in 1993, Mayweather won the national Golden Gloves at 106. The next year, he won at 112; and in '96, he won at 125. Despite the Mayweather camp's insistence on a "level playing field," this isn't similar to a guy hitting 73 homers after never having hit 50.
Clearly, nobody wants to discuss civil liberties; the presumption of guilt is easier and more convenient. Pacquiao's people have cited a dislike of needles as a reason for his refusal to submit to blood testing, and that point has been justifiably mocked by those who cite his obvious like of tattoos. More than needles, it's likely Pacquiao dislikes being singled out, and dislikes being presumed guilty despite never failing a drug test.
This isn't to say that it's totally out of the question that Pacquiao is juicing, or HGHing, or blood-doping, or ingesting something a chemist in the Philippines just realized can make a man's punch mimic a donkey kick. He's got motive (his own legacy) and opportunity (more than enough money), but you could say the same about Mayweather or any other big-time athlete. It's one thing to wonder without proof, another to openly allege without proof.
(Mayweather's people did agree to pay a $10 million fine if he comes in overweight, but that clause came about because he did come in overweight for his last fight, against Juan Manuel Marquez. There is no correlative concerning Pacquiao and performance-enhancing drugs. And that's why Pacquiao filed a defamation suit on Jan. 1.)
There should be a consistent system in place to test boxers -- it's a safety issue as much as anything. And yes, Mayweather is agreeing to the same blood testing his people are demanding of Pacquiao. But I don't blame Pacquiao for rebelling against an arbitrary system that is accompanied by underhanded suggestions that he owes his success to cheating.
Even though most of our innocence has been shredded by the past 15 years of enhancement, there is such a thing as natural greatness. There are people who do things nobody else can do. Both of these guys fit the description.
I've spent time with both men, having been fortunate enough to hang around in both camps as a fly on the wall while reporting profiles for ESPN The Magazine, and their actions in this nutty back-and-forth are perfectly consistent with their personalities.
Mayweather is a gamesman, a master tactician in and out of the ring. He talks a lot and manages to infiltrate the minds of his opponents before they step into the ring. He's all flash and dash, but he studies the game and is fiercely proud of his legacy as an undefeated fighter. He has a reputation for ducking lesser fighters than Pacquiao to retain that distinction. But this fight is so big, and the potential payoff so preposterous, that Mayweather almost has no choice but to take it. That has led some in the Pacquiao camp to conclude that Floyd is using the drug issue as a straw man either to get out of the fight or to use as an excuse if he were to lose.
While I was with him in Las Vegas before his fight with Oscar De La Hoya, in the spring of '07, for no apparent reason Floyd began counting out $100 bills on the apron of a ring at his training camp. Coupled with his ceaseless, caustic banter, it managed to be hilarious and slightly sad at the same time. His almost fetishistic relationship with money -- acquiring it and spending it, reportedly at roughly the same rate -- creates the impression of a shallow man. When it comes to boxing, though, he trains maniacally to preserve his legacy.
Mayweather's sense of his own importance is epic, even amid the false-idol world of the superstar athlete. Among his contingent of helpers was a guy whose only apparent responsibility was to start Mayweather's car so that it was running when he got in.
Pacquiao has a contingent, too -- family members and friends who live with him and rush around to be first to cater to his next need. When he was training for the Ricky Hatton bout last March, I spent a few hours in his Beverly Hills apartment watching people bring in groceries and cook while Manny sat on a couch getting a massage. The competition for relevance among Pacquiao's people is so great that some of them battle to see who can sleep on the floor at the head of his bed.
In other words, they both live in worlds far removed from yours and mine, which makes it difficult to ascertain their thoughts. Even venturing a guess is like taking a trip through an alien world. One thing is for sure: Mayweather is the bigger man and the bigger draw and the bigger personality. He has more to lose than Pacquiao. Much like his fighting style, he is poking and prodding, careful to stay just out of reach. Mayweather has always been the master technician. This time, the ring is optional.
ESPN The Magazine senior writer Tim Keown co-wrote Josh Hamilton's autobiography, "Beyond Belief: Finding the Strength to Come Back," which is available on Amazon.com. Sound off to Tim here.
Source: sports.espn.go.com
Manny Pacquiao's "Official Statement" regarding the death of Mr. Cotto Sr. -- CraveOnline
By Manny Pacquiao, CraveOnline
It has been brought to my attention that for the past 12 months, people from all over the world have gotten to know me, as well as, my Team Pacquiao. People are now familiar with my family, friends and my lifestyle - The person that I am.
All of this has been brought to the world through the television show, 24/7. I never really knew what to make of all of the statements that were made to me, nor the impact a show could make, which revealed people’s lives. I never knew what that meant… until today. Today I found out that Miguel Cotto's father passed away.
To read the rest of Pacquiao's statement, please CLICK HERE.
It has been brought to my attention that for the past 12 months, people from all over the world have gotten to know me, as well as, my Team Pacquiao. People are now familiar with my family, friends and my lifestyle - The person that I am.
All of this has been brought to the world through the television show, 24/7. I never really knew what to make of all of the statements that were made to me, nor the impact a show could make, which revealed people’s lives. I never knew what that meant… until today. Today I found out that Miguel Cotto's father passed away.
To read the rest of Pacquiao's statement, please CLICK HERE.
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