Floyd Mayweather Jr. Embracing Foolishness… -- ThyBlackMan

By Torrance Stephens, ThyBlackMan.com

My Uncle was big on talking about stupidity. He would always tell me two things: “the difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has it limits” and “the wise understand themselves and fools go on the reports of others.”

I cannot tell you if they were passed down by the family or old sayings or if he picked them up reading – he did read a lot. I wonder if he would have used these and a few more to describe the actions of Floyd Mayweather Jr. Now for the record, I suspect many of us know that he is not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but he can fight and has managed to amass a fortune from his skill set.

However, his decisions continue to show a person that either lacks common sense or is completely out of touch with reality in the fashion the selfish often abjure. Recently, the boxer was caught on film setting a $100biill on fire, while partying with Lil Kim and Gucci Mane at the Velvet Room. I guess Floyd has never read that it is a felony to burn money and that such comes with a penalty of up to six months behind bars, and a fine of $100.

Just last month, Mayweather jr. was ordered by a Federal Magistrate to give sworn testimony under oath concerning a defamation suit filed against him by Congressman Manny Pacquiao based on Mayweather’s defamatory statements accusing Pacquiao of taking performance-enhancing drugs.

Upon this, the 33-year-old Mayweather has amassed eight misdemeanor and felony charges stemming from a Sept. 9, 2010 dispute with his former girlfriend, Josie Harris.

This is one of the dumbest things I have seen in recent days, albeit the scandal in Atlanta where teachers were caught cheating and not the students is right up there. This is another example of how many in the lime light are not in tune with the general public, for example the more than 20 percent of black males who are not employed or the millions who are struggling to keep a roof over their family’s heads.

If my uncle had known about William Gaddis, I think he would have agreed with him when he stated, “stupidity is the deliberate cultivation of ignorance.

Source: thyblackman.com

Amir “King” Khan Speeding Toward Greatness -- The Sweet Science

By David A. Avila, The Sweet Science

LOS ANGELES-Inside the world famous Wild Card Boxing gym a small gang of reporters gathered around the ring to see one of the new wave of pound for pound fighters, WBA junior welterweight titleholder Amir “King” Khan.

Most of the photographers brought their fast lens because if not, you run the risk of getting a series of blurs in most of the photo shots. Khan is that fast.

The lightning reflexes of Khan (25-1, 17 KOs) will be tested by IBF junior welterweight titleholder Zab Judah (41-6, 28 KOs) next week in Las Vegas. Once upon a time Judah had those same kinds of bullet-quick reflexes too. He still has some of that quickness but he absolutely has the same kind of staggering power.

There’s the rub.

Two major questions will be answered when Khan meets Judah in a unification bout: can Khan emerge as the heir apparent to Manny Pacquiao and can he win the big fight?

Judah thinks not.

“He’s got all the talent in the world to lose and come back,” said Judah. “That’s what happened to me and that’s what he is going to learn the hard way.”

Judah was referring to his unification title fight with Kostya Tszyu in November 2001. At the time Judah was undefeated and because of his overwhelming speed and power was the odds-maker’s favorite to dethrone the Russian. Instead, he was knocked out in two rounds.

“Listen I don’t like to compare fighters to my time but come July 23, he’s going to learn the lesson I learned,” said Judah, 33. “It’s no disrespect.”

Ever since Khan tasted defeat several years ago, the lean super quick 140-pounder has rebooted with the help of famed trainer Freddie Roach to rocket toward winning the world title and making four successive defenses.

Last December his bout with Argentina’s rough housing Marcos Maidana helped showcase not only his fighting skills but battling heart as well. It was voted “Fight of the Year” by numerous sports publications. This past April he returned to England where he shut out rival countryman Paul McCloskey for six rounds until an accidental head butt caused a bad cut on McCloskey. Khan won by decision against the southpaw.

“With McCloskey he didn’t want to fight. He was losing six nil. Then the head clash happened. I think I would have knocked him out. It seemed to me he just didn’t want to fight,” said Khan, age 24. “At the end of the day he was a southpaw and I’ll hopefully use that as an advantage against Zab Judah.”

When Judah met Khan during the opening press conference in Los Angeles he told the younger champion that he was going to lose his title.

“No disrespect, it’s what we do. We talk,” said Judah about the face to face verbal confrontation.

Khan says that Judah told him he would steal the title.

“Zab was saying he’s going to steal the belt but nothing about winning the belt. That shows what kind of champion he is, to want to steal the belt. I told him I’ll let my fists do the talking,” said Khan.

The British prizefighter has a checkered following: people either like him or loathe him in his native country. But that can be a very good thing. Look at the career of Oscar De La Hoya, who had the same type of relationship with boxing fans.

Ironically, it’s De La Hoya’s company, Golden Boy Promotions, that is guiding Khan’s career in America.

A win against Judah could advance him toward a junior welterweight reckoning with WBC junior welterweight titleholder Timothy Bradley. A meeting between those two would catapult the winner toward super-stardom. But first Khan must pass through Judah.

“The danger is understanding Judah’s southpaw stance. He doesn’t fight like a traditional southpaw. He attacks from the left side. The game plan has been really well done. We had a couple of fights to watch. The (Lucas) Matthysse fight gives us a pretty good blueprint,” said Roach, who is training Khan at the Wild Card Boxing gym in Hollywood. “We’re going to have to nullify that jab and take it away from him. I think Amir should win every round. Judah is tricky with his shoulder rolls, he’s a little bit Mayweather and a little bit Pernell Whitaker.”

Whitaker is now training Judah.

“Of course my fighter is going to win,” said the Hall of Fame boxer Whitaker. “But we can’t underestimate the opponent Khan.”

Judah predicts that Khan will learn a lesson that the New Yorker learned a decade ago in valuing his speed and power over experience.

“I don’t like comparing fighters to other fighters but he’s going to learn a valuable lesson,” predicts Judah. “It’s going to be a great fight.”

Khan predicts an overwhelming victory.

“My speed is going to beat him,” Khan said.

Fights on television

Fri. ESPN2, 6 p.m., Pawel Wolak (29-1) vs. Delvin Rodriguez (25-5-2).

Fr. Showtime, 8:05 p.m., Diego Magdaleno (19-0) vs. Alejandro Perez (15-2-1).

Fri. Telefutura, 11:30 p.m., Abner Cotto (10-0) vs. Carlos Claudio (10-6-3).

Source: thesweetscience.com

Pacquiao Fans Bash Floyd Mayweather’s Personal Life Because That’s All They Can Do -- NowBoxing

By Jamal Dicky, NowBoxing

This is just getting downright pathetic. All these Floyd Mayweather haters and Manny Pacquiao fans can only bash another man’s out of ring activities because that’s all they got! They got nothing else to use to attack this man, because they know deep down in their hearts that Floyd Mayweather Jr. is the supreme boxer and possibly the greatest boxer to ever live! Nobody can even come close to Floyd when it comes to pure boxing mastery. And they know that Manny and his team are avoiding Floyd like the plague.

These latest reports of Mayweather burning money in a club by the biased media and all these bloggers trying to jump on anything Floyd does that is somewhat negative are the acts of real haters. These people have some real deep seeded issues. Deep inside they want to see Floyd Mayweather fail. I don’t know what their reasons are for hating on this man, but all I know is you can tell they have hate and jealousy in their hearts by the way they gang up on this man.

Manny Pacquiao is no saint! But why when he does something bad, like refusing the Olympic style drug testing or being seen with other women while his wife is at home, and signing multiple contracts and reneging on them later, and failing to show up to important US business meetings because he doesn’t feel like it, nobody writes about that stuff?

It’s 100 percent bias! Pacquiao shouldn’t be excusable at all! Floyd Mayweather deserves to have deals with NIKE, Coca-Cola, McDonalds, FORD, and other top sponsors because this man is very professional when it comes time to do business. If Floyd was signed with NIKE, he would be promoting his shoe non stop! Pacquiao doesn’t seem to think it’s important to show up to American business meetings, he rather film some Filipino game shows. This guy comes over to America and makes a living over here, yet, he doesn’t have the time to fly out here and be on time for important meetings and functions?

To me that is a slap in the face to America, the country that made him rich, the country that gave him opportunity to be able to spend those millions of dollars in the Philippines to help his people.

Mayweather is not perfect, but if you are going to write about all his negative things outside the ring, you must shine the same light on Pacquiao and all the negative things he does.

Stop focusing on Floyd Mayweather burning a hundred dollar bill, we don’t even know if that was a real $100, it could have been fake. Plus, Floyd probably feels real bad about that right now. It was a simple mistake and he was caught up in the moment. Let’s look at the positive things he does for a change, he donates to homeless charities, he paid for the late great Genaro Hernandez funeral, and he is proud to be an American. Don’t go believing people who say he isn’t, because he is, he just wishes that America would love him back.

Source: nowboxing.com

Roach: Khan ahead of Pacquiao -- Yahoo! Sports

Reuters

Britain's WBA light-welterweight champion Amir Khan is a superior boxer at 24 than Filipino Manny Pacquiao was at the same age, according to trainer Freddie Roach who works with both fighters.

Khan, like Pacquiao, is a southpaw renowned for his speed and hard work ethic and Roach firmly believes he will emulate the Filipino by becoming the sport's best pound-for-pound fighter within the next two years.

"Amir is little bit more ahead of Manny," the bespectacled Roach told Reuters at his Wild Card Boxing Club. "It took Manny Pacquiao eight years to get to the point where he became unbeatable and he has dominated every fight.

"Amir has been with me for just three years now and he's getting closer and closer.

"He will become the pound-for-pound king within a couple of years. He is well ahead of schedule and a big win here against Zab (Judah) would be another step towards Manny's record."

Khan, who has a career record of 25-1 with 17 knockouts, is scheduled to take on experienced American IBF holder Zab Judah in a unification fight in Las Vegas on July 23.

While the 33-year-old Judah is a highly respected figure in boxing, Roach is confident Khan will triumph in style at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino - and probably inside the 12 scheduled rounds.

"Zab will need to be at his best to survive in this one," said Roach, who has worked with 31 world champions in his Wild Card gym on the outskirts of downtown Los Angeles.

"I am very confident in my guy. We are ready to fight, we know when and where to attack this guy and how to attack him. We will win and walk away.

"I do not see this fight going the distance. We will overwhelm him with our speed and power, and I think Zab doesn't really take to getting hit like he once did."

Khan agreed that a knockout was likely, but he was wary of making any iron-clad prediction.

"I really think I will get a knockout in this fight but I never go into a fight looking for a knockout because that's when you start making mistakes," the Englishman told Reuters before beginning a training session in the ring with Roach.

"I'm going to go in there boxing and if the knockout comes it comes. But we are ready for the full 12-round distance. We have worked very hard for this fight and we know that we've got a good game plan that I'm going to be following."

Khan, who won the WBA title against Andreas Kotelnik of Ukraine two years ago, readily admits he would never have made such quick progress in his boxing career without the influence of Roach and 10-times world champion Pacquiao.

"They've brought the best out of me," he said. "Mentally they have made me a better fighter by thinking about what I need to do and sticking to a game plan whereas before I just used to go in there and fight with my heart.

"We know we've got the heart to go in there and fight with anyone but we need to have the game plan and I need to have the mental strength to stick to that game plan."

Asked what had been his greatest lesson from Pacquiao, Bolton-born Khan replied: "It's just good to be in the same camp as him. I work with him and I see what he does and, in a way, I just follow his customs.

"Manny is one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world and if I can even spar with him and do well against him that's a great confidence boost for me.

"He's so down-to-earth and he loves to help me. Just a few words from Manny is a big thing for me. We've become friends now. I'm 24 and I've been training with Manny since I was 22.

It's a great experience and you can't buy that experience."

Khan, a former Olympic silver medallist, has clear-cut goals well beyond his July 23 showdown with Judah.

"Later this year, I am hoping to fight Erik Morales," he said. "That would be a big fight for me. He's a big name over here in the States.

"From there, maybe I will move up to 147 (pounds) and try to take on Floyd Mayweather. That's what we are looking at. You need to have ambitions and my main goal is to fight for the pound-for-pound title.

"I've still got a long, long way to go and I am learning every day and in every fight. But I am getting there slowly."

Source: uk.eurosport.yahoo.com

Floyd Mayweather Jr. Burns $100 Bill at Atlanta Club -- NowPublic

NowPublic.com

Floyd Mayweather Burns $100 Bill: That's a Crime

Floyd Mayweather Jr. has money to burn, and he proved it by torching a $100 bill at the Velvet Room nightclub in Atlanta over the weekend.

Burning currency is illegal in the US: Floyd Mayweather Jr. faces an investigation by the Secret Service, which is tasked with enforcing that particular law. However, the WBC Super Welterweight Champion shouldn't be too worried.

Since the fine for burning money is only $100 (funnily enough), it's exceedingly unlikely that action will be taken against Mayweather. Still, it's sort of a chump move to burn money in the middle of a recession. After all, $100 could buy maybe four drinks for random strangers at a high-end club.

Perhaps Mayweather should be more worried about Manny Pacquiao, who could ruin his unbeaten record, but that fight is not looking likely anytime soon. Floyd Mayweather faces Victor Ortiz on September 17.

Source: nowpublic.com

Amir Khan's ultimate aim is to beat Floyd Mayweather Jnr to become world’s No 1 pound-for-pound boxer -- Telegraph

The Telegraph

World Boxing Association light-welterweight champion Khan, who is preparing for a unification contest with International Boxing Federation champion Zab Judah in Las Vegas a week on Saturday, would not even rule out a contest with stablemate Manny Pacquiao as the 24-year-old Boltonian came clean about his career wish list.

Khan, who insisted he was “not looking past Judah”, who he ranks as a “tough, awkward and dangerous opponent”, explained that there were plans in place for a contest with Mayweather in the division above.

Khan said: “I think within 12 months the Mayweather fight will happen. It is three fights away. If I beat Zab Judah and then have one more contest at 140lbs [light-welterweight] I will then move up to welterweight where I will carry my power. The cut in weight is affecting my power at the moment.”

The plan for Khan is to move forward should he beat Judah, and then fight Mexican legend Erik Morales in November before moving to welterweight and fighting emerging British star Kell Brook at welterweight, in the UK.

The prospect of Khan facing Mayweather at this juncture in his career still suggests a potential mismatch in spite of the Boltonian’s fast hands, but Khan went further: “Mayweather often talks about wanting to fight in the UK and it would be great if he came over here to fight in the summer around the time of the Olympics.”

Source: telegraph.co.uk

Manny Pacquiao: DOOMSDAY FOR BOXING -- Ringside Report

By Geno McGahee, Ringside Report

There have been two huge disappointments as of late in boxing, but it keeps going from bad to worse it seems. The super fight between Wladimir Klitschko and David Haye became a “I won’t hit you if you don’t hit me” survival game, and Paul “The Punisher” Williams was awarded a terrible gift decision over Erislandy Lara. It was highway robbery on HBO, live for the world to see.

Making matters worse is the idea of a “Super Champion.” There is no more “Undisputed Heavyweight champion.” We now have super champions and regular champions and the WBA has now pitted Teddy Atlas heavyweight, Alexander Povetkin against Ruslan Chagaev for the WBA “regular” heavyweight title. I feel this string of profanity coming on…

Why the @#$#$ do we need five dozen heavyweight champions? It’s incredibly frustrating as a boxing fan for the sanctioning bodies to create these distinctions, further muddling the division. It is said that where the heavyweight division goes, so too goes boxing, and if that is the case, it’s dead.

What saves boxing? Manny Pacquiao is the name that comes up typically, but he’s got over fifty fights, and he’s in the tail stretch of his career. So many boxing publications have sailed on his ship for years, because he is the only one that can sell a magazine or attract fans. Pacquiao is a great fighter, but he’s taking on Juan Manuel Marquez in November and then may or may not take on Floyd Mayweather, JR., next, if he gets beyond Victor Ortiz, and then the show is most likely over. Pacquiao cannot fight forever, and boxing will lose its biggest draw when he retires.

The Philippines has invested a lot of stock in Manny Pacquiao. He is a national hero, a man that proves that you can escape poverty and make it to the top of the world. Despite his money and celebrity status, he has kept his feet on the ground and remained true to his roots. He’s got that “it” factor, and he even sells music CDs and makes movies. Pacquiao, although not a good singer by any stretch of the imagination, is not the worst boxer turned musical act. Larry Holmes and Roy Jones, JR., get that nod.

When Manny says the words: “I retire from boxing,” where does the sport go? Floyd Mayweather, JR., if he continues to fight, it might be once a year and won’t be for much longer, and no other fighter has the draw of a Pacquiao. There’s not even a close second, with the exception of Floyd.

This is why the David Haye – Klitschko fight meant so much. Haye had some of the ingredients needed to save the sport. He was cocky, charismatic, and had a great mixture of speed and power. He was just terrified of Wlad and never chanced winning. He just eagerly awaited the final bell. It was terrible.

There are plenty of decent fighters, but they have not made it to PPV headliner status, yet. Sergio Martinez is a great fighter and so is Amir Khan, but neither can merit their own PPV, unless they are fighting Floyd or Manny. Yuriorkis Gamboa is a star on the rise, but he is years away from PPV headlining status. The Klitschkos can’t give their fights away in the states, and there are no challengers that are earning the public’s attention.

Some are pointing to another Filipino fighter as the next big thing in boxing. Nonito Donaire has been a very impressive fighter with great power and could be a breakout star, but it is highly unlikely that he would reach the status of Manny Pacquiao and capture the public’s attention as he has. He doesn’t have the access to the fighters that Pacquiao had to get that attention.

Manny beat Oscar De La Hoya, one of the biggest names of all time, Ricky Hatton, a British national hero, Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales, two Mexican fighters with huge followings, and Miguel Cotto, the biggest name in Puerto Rico. He has fought in a way that he has earned the respect and admiration from the fans of those he has left in a mangled heap. Donaire doesn’t have a list like that to work off of. So, I don’t foresee him coming close to the popularity of the PacMan.

Boxing needs a reboot. They reboot every movie in Hollywood, why not do the same to the sport that badly needs it? ABC needs to bring back its coverage of the sport and so does every other network. The USA network shows typically garbage. Why not dust off Tuesday Night Fights? Give it the reboot! If boxing is to return, the marketing and coverage must get better. You don’t see the UFC struggling. They have organization and great coverage. Boxing gets strictly bad press it seems.

Get ready boxing fans. Manny Pacquiao doesn’t have much time left in the sport. We should begin planning in advance.

Source: ringsidereport.com

Dudley Do-Rights Mayweather, Tygart must answer Arum's WADA proposal on Pacquiao -- Examiner

By Michael Marley, Examiner.com

We absolutely are motivated to find the truth and do the right thing in every case. Our obligation is to protect clean athletes, nothing less and nothing more.—UNITED STATES ANTI-DOPING AGENCY public statement

Travis Tygart, head of the US Anti-Doping Agency, presents himself as a Dudley Do-Right type, a man on a mission to clean up the rampant illegal drug cheating in big time sports.

To a lesser extent, Floyd Mayweather Jr. wants you to think that he is an athlete who willingly has joined the anti drug abuse crusade.

Both the lawyer and the undefeated right are clearly right that drug cheating is pervasive in sports, especially those which involve massive amounts of money.

(Editor’s Note: I’ve reached out to Tygart by phone and email but he is out of his Colorado Springs office until July 18 so perhaps he is on vacation. I do hope to get his views.)

Only a blind and deaf person would argue otherwise. The Barry Bonds legal drama lingers on, the only question now being will he get a small amount of Club Fed jail time.

In Washington, baseball pitching superstar Roger Clemens is on trial in a case involving his alleged use of steroids.

That sleazy Canadian doctor who was supplying various well-known jocks with banned drugs has taken a guilty plea in his case.

Lance Armstrong abandoned his glorious cycling career with the drug posse hot on his heels. Current cycling superstar Albert Contador is beset by similar allegations and continuing probes.

In boxing, BALCO bossman Victor Conte is a steady presence. Formerly the guy aiding and abetting Sugar Shane Mosley to load himself up with banned drugs to enhance his boxing skills, Conte is now a respected conditioning/nutrition adviser to world champions Nonito Donaire Jr. and Andre Ward, among others.

Which brings us around to Saturday night, when I spoke to riverboat gambler and Manny Pacquiao promoter Bob Arum about his sudden statement of the day before.

Arum proclaimed that Team Pacquiao will accept a Mayweather bout with fully random blood testing but only if it is handled by the world governing body, WADA, and not by Tygart’s USA only organization.

“We don’t accept the USADA handling it,” Arum told me. “We do accept the prestigious, well-respected WADA. On those terms, Pacquiao will submit to whatever (blood) testing is required so we can make the big fight.”

Makes sense to me. WADA is the world body and both Mayweather and Pacquiao have multiple world championship histories.

It’s no insult to USADA, really, with American Mayweather fighting Filipino Pacquiao. It’s not something absurd and outlandish such as Arum proposing a drug testing agency from Pacman’s homeland handle the testing.

I’ve no doubt the Nevada commission would permit the Mayweather and Pacquiao to make a contract specifying, chapter and verse, what the required testing would be, when it could take place, yada, yada, yada.

Nevada badly wants and sorely needs the revenue such a boxing bonanza brings to Las Vegas' tourist service economy. I see no NSAC impediment especially where Tygart was like a bull in a china shop in his decidedly negative testimony before the state board on June 9, 2010. Tygart didn't ruffle Nevada feathers, he torched them.

If Mayweather really wants to fight Pacman, then he will agree to WADA and Tygart will also support this, if only to advance Tygart’s crusade.

If Mayweather doesn’t accept WADA, then it can finally be said that he really is ducking the super fight.

I understand Tygart might camping in Yellowstone Park right now, but the silence from the “Money” camp is deafening so far.

Talk up, Floyd, talk up.

On behalf of Pacquiao, Arum’s opened the door. Will you walk through it or slam it shut.

Borrowing from the goofy nickname of the Mayweather-De La Hoya bout, “the world awaits.”

Menawhile, herewith the Mission Statement of USADA, verbatim:

“To be the guardian of the values and life lessons learned through true sport. We hold the public trust to:

Preserve the Integrity of Competition — We preserve the value and integrity of athletic competition through just initiatives that prevent, deter and detect violations of true sport.

Inspire True Sport — We inspire present and future generations of U.S. athletes through initiatives that impart the core principles of true sport — fair play, respect for one’s competitor and respect for the fundamental fairness of competition.

Protect the Rights of U.S. Athletes — We protect the right of U.S. Olympic and Paralympic athletes to compete healthy and clean — to achieve their own personal victories as a result of unwavering commitment and hard work — to be celebrated as true heroes.”

(mlcmarley@aol.com)

Source: examiner.com

Nacho Beristain: “Pacquiao will beat Mayweather” -- BoxingNews24

By John F. McKenna, BoxingNews24.com

Legendary Mexican trainer Ignacio “Nacho” Beristain in Atlantic City this past weekend had a surprising response when asked if he thought Manny Pacquiao (53-3-2, 38 KO’s) would beat Floyd Mayweather (41-0, 25 KO’s) if the two were to meet.

The surprise was not that “Nacho” thought Pacquiao would defeat Mayweather. As reported in the Boxing Insider, what was surprising was that Beristain said that a victory by Manny over Floyd would be bad for boxing.

“It’s a very good, important fight but that fight should not happen,” stated Beristain. “Because I believe that Pacquiao will beat Mayweather your going to take away the glory that has made Mayweather these past years. Mayweather’s style – when he fights someone that pressures him and throws a lot of punches – he just beats him up.”

Beristain said that it would not be an easy fight for Pacquiao, but that he would definitely win.

Beristain has had plenty of close experience watching Pacquiao. He was in the corner of Juan Manuel Marquez for his two fights with Manny and he was also in the corner of Oscar De Lahoya when he took the vicious beating from Pac-Man.

When Beristain was asked what makes Pacquiao so effective, so great, he responded by saying “He just works too hard. His training is too hard. He works very hard.”

When asked how good Floyd Mayweather is, who has proclaimed himself as the greatest fighter of all time, “Nacho” said that Mayweather is a very good fighter, but that Pacquiao would defeat him because “He is just too tough, too strong.”

The great trainer and veteran ring observer “Nacho” Beristain has zero confidence that Floyd Mayweather, as good a fighter as he is, would prevail against Manny Pacquiao.

Obviously Beristain is going to stick by his fighter, Juan Manuel Marquez (52-5-1, 38 KO’s) in his November showdown with Manny Pacquiao at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. “Nacho” said that if Marquez “does his work very good he can win his fight with Pacquiao.” Not exactly a ringing endorsement for Marquez.

In addition to training Juan Manuel Marquez, the sixty eight year old Beristain has trained many other great Mexican fighters including Daniel Zaragoza, Humberto Gonzalez, Ricardo Lopez and numerous others. Because of his stature in boxing Beristain’s opinions carry a significant amount of weight.

Source: boxingnews24.com

USADA responds: We bear no prejudice, bias against Manny Pacquiao -- Examiner

By Michael Marley, Examiner.com

USADA's zealot bossman, the lawyer Travis Tygart, is on a summer vacation but I was able to speak at length with the drug testing agency's s media relations manager, Annie Skinner, twice on Monday concerning Manny Pacquiao promoter Bob Arum's proclamation that his side will accept fully random blood testing if WADA, the world anti-doping organization handles it.

There is a continuing perception in the Pacman camp, according to Arum, that the Tygart-led agency, based in Colorado Springs, is uncomfortably close with American Mayweather. Such raw feelings have been made worse by Tygart's public references to Mayweather as "the clean athlete."

In Tygart's absence, Skinner assured me that USADA does not prejudge whether any athlete, domestic or foreign, is cheating by using banned drugs. Allegations have continually been made about Pacquiao using EPO and maybe other banned substances although no one has ever come up with a scintilla of evidence. Meanwhile, Pacman's defemation lawsuit against "Money" Mayweather continues.

"We certainly do not have a bias against any athlete," Skinner said. "We do not have a bias (favoring) one athlete over another. All athletes are presumed to be clean until such time as they are proven otherwise.

"But, when it comes to drug testing, USADA, which is a signatory to WADA rules, regulations and procedures, is the gold standard for sports in the United States. We completely adhere to all the international standards as promulgated by WADA."

She said that perhaps Arum has a misperception of how WADA operates, explaining "does not do any actual testing, they do not have the infrastructure to do that. You take (world soccer body) FIFA, the Swimming Federation and others...they are all signatories to WADA. What WADA does is contract out (the testing) to recognized doping control agencies in the different countries."

I asked Skinner if hypothetically a third party doping control laboratory or organization might be agreed to, thus overcoming Team Pacquiao's objections to USADA, which Arum branded as "not neutral" in this matter.

"No other organization in the US does the type of gold standard testing that that we do. Personally, at least, I've never heard of any third party organization that performs the WADA approved standards to the same degree that we do," Skinner said.

Obviously, the two camps could make an agreement as to a different testing agency if they chose to do so.

With a bonanza fight in which it is speculated that both Mayweather and Pacquiao can gross up to $50 million, you would think that there is some middle ground that the two fighter's camps can reach here.

Does anyone think that Joe Fan really gives a hoot as which anti-doping agency does the testing as long it is all done fair and impartially?

Has Arum moved the ball forward here or is this going to further block the so-called "Dream Fight."

It could turn out to be that in the ring and in the final money count but with constantly failed and stalled negotiations it continues to be a nightmare to make.

(mlcmarley@aol.com)

Source: examiner.com