SPECIAL REPORT
INSIDE BOXING
BY STEPHEN S. JOHNSON
(IB-DECEMBER 28, 2009) It's looking more and more as if the highly anticipated show-down between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather, Jr. will not happen...at least not on March 13th of 2010.
The insistence of Olympic style blood testing by Mayweather, Jr. and Golden Boy Productions have effectively under minded the fight being held on the March 13th of 2010 date.
Top Rank promoter Bob Arum had given a Monday, December 28th deadline for Mayweather, Jr. and Golden Boy Productions to accept the counter offer of letting the NSAC (Nevada State Athletic Commission) decide what form of testing would be used or the fight would be called off.
GBP CEO Richard Schaefer has said there would be absolutely no other way the fight will happen unless Pacquiao allows random testing of his blood right up to the fight.
Bob Arum has accused GBP and Mayweather, Jr. of trying to intimidate Pacquiao, and thus issued his final offer.
The issue of blood testing has brought a firestorm of opinions from boxers, trainers, promoters and various boxing dignitaries from around the world.
The one overwhelming perspective is that ALL SPORTS should initiate some type of blood and urine testing to eradicate the remote possibility that anyone is cheating.
That would be a wonderful thing if it would've been considered by all as a positive direction to take some 10-12 years ago. The "steroid-era" should not have been exclusive to MLB (Major League Baseball), NFL (National Football League) ad the NBA (National Basketball Association). Yet most all other sports sat idly by insinuating there was "nothing wrong" with the other sports.
There are many, many issues to be resolved no matter what entity or who administers these tests.
The one major issue is: WHAT SUSPENSIONS AND/OR FINES WOULD BE INSTITUTED AND EXACTLY WHO WOULD BE NAMED AS THE CULPRIT?
If a fighter (such as Shane Mosley did) proclaims his innocence, is he then the culpable party, or does the fighter and all associated with him become guilty? This could/should include the trainer, promoter and anyone else who would stand to profit in any form. Does that proclamation (of innocence) then allow a fighter to challenge the drug tests and who/what tests were used? What then if a 2nd set of tests revealed the ever ominous phrase "false positive"?
These are just a few elementary issues to be resolved before ANY form of mandatory testing could be put into effect.
Now for the problem at hand...
Golden Boy Productions, Richard Schaefer, Oscar de la hoya, Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and Sr. have all effectively destroyed this fight, and Manny Pacquiao, by merely insinuating there is PED use by Pacquiao.
Now and forever there will always be the question of "Is he or isn't he on something". That is inflammatory and devastating to say the least, to the place of Manny Pacquiao in boxing history.
If the goal of the Mayweather group was to instill doubt, CONGRATULATIONS!
As Manny Pacquiao made his way to the top of the pound-for-pound hill, I can never remember ANYONE suggesting he was doing anything illegal...until Golden Boy Productions and Oscar himself did just that.
I've spent the last 4 days entertaining opinions from SPORTS FANS, not boxing fans, and every one was asked the same question: DO YOU BELIEVE SPORTS, IN GENERAL, ARE INFILTRATED WITH ILLEGAL DRUG USE? The answer was overwhelmingly...YES!
I then asked for solutions and was astonished to find most all said, "If they're caught cheating, they should be banned for life!" I then asked if the alleged perpetuator should be allowed to challenge the results and most all said "ABSOLUTELY!"
This was by no means any type of scientific poll, but just an indication of what the average sports fan feels regarding the "steroid-era" and what to do with the guilty.
If by merely allowing anyone to "point the finger" at someone for an alleged illegal activity (in this case drug use) and that person must carry that allegation as suspected fact, what do we have?
Were I a member of "TEAM PACQUIAO", I would be filing defamation, libel and any other lawsuits deemed appropriate by my attorney. That is the ONLY way to deflect the accusations.
Bob Arum says he has many fighters willing to fight Manny Pacquiao and he will not wait for Floyd Mayweather, Jr. The question now is, will Manny Pacquiao ever be able to claim another victory without being suspected as a cheater?
There still remains the possibility that there will be an "11th hour resolution" and the fight will happen. But what will Manny Pacquiao ever gain from this besides some 20-30 million dollars? He's in a "no-win situation" and that's what Golden Boy Productions has done to him...a suspected cheater!
Manny Pacquiao has been given a demise that only someone like Tiger Woods deserves...
