Mosley, Mayweather quick to spread false Pacquiao steroid story -- Examiner

By Scott Heritage, Examiner.com

Initially the recent publication of a steroid use story concerning Manny Pacquiao, it which an anonymous supposed former sparring partner claims to have injected the star with steroids on a regular basis, seemed to rouse little public interest.

It was only in fact when the story was repeated by two of Pacquiao's fellow fighters that it began to gain momentum.

Before getting into why the story was spread and why, a little background on the article.

Many of the links given to the original story now appear to be dead, but it seems the article was first published on Value Sports Picks, a little known betting site.

Anything more than the briefest of glances at the article itself and it becomes clear that a number of things about the claims presented don't quite add up.

Firstly that even an anonymous source would decide to talk to a rather obscure gambling website rather than a respectable news outlet or even a just a boxing site is the first red flag.

Someone with potentially a front page news story, even wishing to hide their identity, would surely have gone to a known reporter. They would also probably have had the sense to produce some kind of evidence, an empty vial, a syringe with traces of Pacquiao's blood, or even just details such as the name of the specific drugs used or where they came from.

Instead we got:

”Once a week, right in the locker room of the Wild Card (Gym). Manny would drop his shorts and clench his teeth, and I would give him a jab in the upper outer quarter of his butt cheek. He hated every shot.”

The second is the fact that the source is claimed to be a Filipino former sparring mate of Pacquiao's from "his early years" up until he fought Miguel Cotto in 2009.

The story claims that the identity of the fighter in question, (a former pro, narrowing it down further) is withheld because of concerns over his safety.

The problem is that Pacquiao's sparring partners over the last few years have largely been American with a smattering of other nationalities thrown in. Since the early 00's at least he hasn't been known for sparring with a lot of Filipino fighters.

Even maintaining anonymity then wouldn't make it particularly hard for either Pacquiao, fellow professionals and even fans to work out who the sparring partner was, even broadening 'sparring partner' to any Filipino fighter ever to have worked with Pacquiao in the gym up until the Cotto fight.

Lastly, credibility of the story aside, even if a fighter as famous and well connected as Pacquiao were inclined to use steroids, would he really have a sparring partner inject him in a locker room?

A guy who gets punched for a living who presumably has no medical knowledge, instead of a doctor, or even a drugs expert of some kind less likely to leak the story to the press in the future?

The story in itself might not have attracted much more attention had it not been for the actions of recent Pacquiao opponent Shane Mosley and long time rival Floyd Mayweather, who both tweeted links to the story earlier today to their combined 1.24 million followers.

Mosley:

"Pacquiao ex-sparring partner came out a couple days ago stating that he would inject him w steroids - since Ricky fight look that up"


"These are not my words it comes from a article And his sparring partner but if it is true!!!! Than what do you say please google"

While Mayweather went with:

"Everyone has to read this RIGHT NOW:"

Followed by a link to one version of the story

While this kind of thing is to be expected from Mayweather, who has a long and storied history of attempting to undermine, offend and insult Pacquiao, Mosley in the past has always had a reputation of being a little more astute.

Given that Mosley is a former P.E.D user himself, albeit one who maintains that he never knew what he was taking, his willingness to believe the story without first reading a little more into it is surprising, and will no doubt be viewed by many as bitterness over his poor performance against Pacquiao earlier this month.

Also even after his shocking performance against Pacquiao, Mosley may well be in line for more bouts under the Top Rank banner in the future. Alienating the promotion's biggest star and likely boss Bob Arum as well isn't a good career move.

Source: examiner.com

Mayweather hits out at lack of American support -- ESPN

ESPN.co.uk

Floyd Mayweather Jnr has suggested that he is currently unwilling to fight Manny Pacquiao because he feels it would be a no-win situation for him.

The American, widely regarded as one of the sport's greatest ever boxers, has long been linked with a super-fight against Pacquiao - who is also a champion at multiple weight classes.

But negotiations for a bout have yet to reach fruition, as both sides have increasingly angered the other with demands ranging from the money involved to the drugs testing required.

And, in a candid interview with Fighthype.com, Mayweather hinted that he feels he lacks support from the American public, who are keen to criticise him in any way they can. As a result, he feels he would stand to lose everything - most notably his unbeaten record - and win nothing were he to step into the ring with Pacquiao, even if he won.

"I like the Filipino people. The reason why I like the Filipino people is because the Filipinos, they're going to stand behind him [Pacquiao] win, lose or draw. They're going to stand behind him," Mayweather said.

"If the fight ever does happen, once I beat him - as far as with the media, there's going to be a lot of excuses; there's always excuses - but his people will still love him unconditionally.

"The black American race, we don't have that."

The 34-year-old, whose last fight came over a year ago against Shane Mosley, believes he has been unfairly criticised by those who should be his biggest supporters - contrasting his own treatment with that of other sportsmen, including baseball star Barry Bonds, who admitted to steroid abuse during his record-setting career.

Mayweather is also keen to preserve his long-term health.

"They say Floyd Mayweather is scared of Manny Pacquiao, but I think my country - and even [television channel] HBO, who I stayed loyal to - should stand up and say 'Hey, you're not giving Barry Bonds a hard time for anything'," he said.

"My health, my well-being and my mind is more important than money. I'm not 21 any more. I'm older, I'm wiser. It's very important for me to spend time with my children."

One place Mayweather could end up meeting Pacquiao, however, is in the courts - as the Filipino sues his potential opponent for defamation over various drug-related claims he made while the pair were in serious negotiations over a contest.

"Not once did I say Manny was taking something," Mayweather said. "Then we tell them we got to take the [drugs] tests, and suddenly, he's suing us!

"But it is what it is. We're going to go to court and fight whatever we have to fight."

© ESPN EMEA Ltd

Source: espn.co.uk