Pacquiao still willing to fight Mayweather
MANILA, Philippines – Despite his plan to file a complaint against Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and his camp for the doping accusations hurled against him, pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao said he still wants to face the undefeated American fighter.
“I'm still willing to fight Floyd Mayweather. I never said the fight was off or I do not want to fight him,” Pacquiao told Agence France-Presse.
The 7-division world champion maintained though that he will only face Mayweather if the American boxer accedes to this term – that the Filipino boxer undergoes blood testing only 30 days before the March 13 fight.
Pacquiao also agreed to unlimited urine testing plus a blood test when the fight news conference kicks off in January and another one right after the fight.
“If Floyd Mayweather Jr. does not accept these terms, then my promoter will find me another fight for March 13,” declared Pacquiao.
Negotiations for a Pacquiao-Mayweather bout reached a standstill because of a disagreement on the drug testing procedure that should be used.
But the fighters’ camps made some progress over the weekend as they made some concessions on the drug testing issue.
Some progress
Mayweather, who called for an Olympic-style drug testing procedure, pressed for the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) to implement the random blood and urine tests.
“We are OK to move off USADA,” Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer told ESPN.com.
Schaefer noted that both camps have agreed to have random blood and urine tests. Team Mayweather also does not care if the USADA will not be the one to carry out the tests, as long as they are conducted.
“So now it is a matter of the two sides working out the specifics of the cutoff date to assure it will still be effective,” he added.
Schaefer also mentioned that Golden Boy executive Bruce Binkow and Top Rank Promotions President Todd duBoef are “trying to work out the specifics of the cutoff to assure the tests are still effective because we know that 30 days before is not effective.”
Pressure on Pacquiao
Schaefer went on to say that “at 30 days, we might as well not even do it.”
Top Rank big boss Bob Arum, meantime, said that they will let the Nevada State Athletic Association decide on the drug testing matters.
“Our position is that since the fight would be in Nevada, let [the Mayweather side] make any petition it wants to the commission… We wash our hands of it. If the commission wants to take blood, fine. We don't care,” he said.
“Who are they [Golden Boy] to tell Manny what he's supposed to do? How many times did [Golden Boy boss] Oscar De La Hoya ever give blood before a fight? I will not let this kid get pushed around,” remarked Arum.
Schaefer, on the other hand, commented: “If this fight doesn't happen it's not because of Team Mayweather.”
The Golden Boy CEO added that Mayweather’s camp yielded to Team Pacquiao’s proposal of a $10-million per pound penalty if ever either fighter exceeds the weight limit of 147 lbs.
“I don't want to hear that if the fight breaks up it was because of us. When they came to us with a $10 million weight penalty, they didn't expect us to say yes. They thought we'd say no. So when we said yes, they had to come up with something else. Now we're off USADA, and they are going to come and say only urine testing if that's what the commission says. It's really frustrating.”
Schaefer noted: “The pressure is on Pacquiao.”
Cowards
As the drug testing issue swirled in reports, both Pacquiao and Mayweather (and their camps) called each other cowards.
“If Floyd Mayweather Jr truly ever wanted to fight me and he is not really scared, he would accept these terms I am willing to give him as they are above and beyond what the (Nevada) commission demands,” added the Filipino boxing sensation.
“I hope Floyd is not really really a coward and will fight me and give the fans what they want to see. I am not afraid to fight Floyd anywhere any time.”
Schaefer, for his part, said that maybe Pacquiao does not really want to fight Mayweather because of talks that Arum is looking for alternative foes in Paulie Malignaggi and Yuri Foreman.
“The focus is on getting Mayweather-Pacquiao done while Bob is making calls everywhere on the Malignaggi fight. That shows his focus is not on Mayweather… Something is not right. I don't know how to explain it other than maybe Pacquiao doesn't want the Mayweather fight,” he stated.
Both Pacquiao and Mayweather have never failed a drug test.
Court fight
Pacquiao, meantime, got fed up with Team Mayweather’s allegations that he has been taking performance-enhancing drugs.
He explained once more the reason why he opposed to undergo drug testing days before the fight.
“The truth is taking blood out of my body does not seem natural to me and mentally I feel it will weaken me if blood is taken from me just days before the fight… That does not make sense to me, why anyone would do that.”
Pacquiao also lamented that the doping allegations tainted his reputation.
“Dahil sa mahal ko ang aking bayan at ipinaglalaban ko ang dangal ng aking bansa sa lahat ng aking mga sagupaan sa ring, at may takot ako sa Diyos na siyang pinagmumulan ng aking lakas, minabuti kong magsampa ng kaso laban sa mga naninira ng dangal ng aking pangalan, bansa at ng aking Diyos,” he wrote in his “Kumbinasyon” column on PhilBoxing.com.
He was pertaining to Floyd Jr., Floyd Sr., and Schaefer.
“Wala akong dapat patunayan at sana, huwag nilang yurakan ang magandang imahe ng sport na boxing gaya ng gusto nilang mangyari — ang diktahan at sampalin ang lahat ng tao at organisasyon kasama na ang Nevada State Athletic Association,” he continued.
“I am not guilty and I don’t have to prove anything because I have passed all tests in all my previous fights. I will all just see you in court.” – With reports from Dan Rafael, ESPN.com; Agence France-Presse; and PhilBoxing.com
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RE: Adel & others...
crackheads of MLB... That's funny. Victor Conte ruining sports integrity. Yeah, no $h!t, I agree. This guy is the father of steroids, can't believe he's not in jail anymore. Is he?
Well, if this fight doesn't happen, then it would be disappointing and there's nothing we can do about it. It's just when I'm old I want to be able to say to my grand kids that I witnessed the biggest fight of all time.
Anyways, judging by what's going on as of now, I might still be able to watch Manny fight Mayweather... In a courtroom if he files his lawsuit in LA. :) I'd rather see Manny beat Floyd in the ring, I think he should coz it'll make him feel really good. Maybe Manny should get in the ring with Floyd, beat the crap out him, and then file the lawsuit after.
RE: Pacquiao Lawsuit & fight with Mayweather
I respectfully disagree. There is no way in hell this fight will be boring. If it is then the entire boxing world would not be asking for it. STYLES MAKE FIGHTS. You have an offensive fighter in Manny, and a defensive/technical fighter in Floyd. Watching this fight would be like watching a boxing clinic, an instructional video on how it's done. Watching Manny would be learning how to attack, watching Floyd would be learning how counter-punch and defend. Especially for all aspiring boxers, watching this fight would be telling them this is how it's done!
The reason I said styles makes fights is for example, the Mayweather/Marquez bout. Counter-puncher + counter-puncher = boring fight not to mention mismatch. Pacquiao/Marquez, offensive fighter + counter-puncher = great fight. So for Paqcuiao/Mayweather, you have Manny the best offensive fighter out there with speed and power, and Mayweather the best technical fighter out there. It will be interesting to see if and how Manny can break through Floyd's defense. If there’s anyone out there who can break Floyd’s defense, I think it’s Manny, if he can cut Floyd off the ring and wear him down. It’ll be interesting what kind of game plan Roach will have for this fight.
Adel & others...
You made a good point Adel, and others as well. I agree that this fight has to be done. I agree that Boxing is bigger than both Manny and Floyd, and they both need to come to an agreement that will satisfy them both to make this fight happen. If this fight doesn't happen, it will seriously hurt the sport. I was gonna say but I see on your second post that you already cleared up that Mosley/Judah fight was scheduled but never fought. And yes, Judah did demand that Mosley be blood tested which he said didn't have a problem with.
For those who agree with the blood testing and for those who disagree with it, you both have valid points. Stop all the back and forth bickering and stop all the name calling. You all have valid arguments. The fact is that neither Manny nor Floyd will come to abs-cbnnews.com or other boxing forums to read what we all have to say. We can all say what we have in mind but it's up to the fighters to decide how they want to settle it. Whether it be random blood testing as Floyd wants, or 30 days before & then after the fight as Manny is willing to do, or somewhere in the middle. All we the fans and audience can do is hope that they can both agree and make the fight happen. This fight is too big for both fighters to just toss out.
The whole blood debacle on this fight is already setting a precedence. I think in the near future they will start mandating blood testing on all future fights. Not just in boxing but possibly to all sports as well. I don't believe it's necessarily because of this fight but because there are designer steroids out there that are being cooked up to mask it from testing especially urine. We can all blame people like Victor Conte and BALCO, and pretty much half of all the crackhead Major League Baseball players for ruining the integrity of sports.
Pacquiao Lawsuit & fight with Mayweather
Pacquiao has to sue Mayweather team. See, when Mayweather Sr. was not sued, they continue dafaming Pacquiao. If Pacquiao don't sue them, then, they will continue dafaming Pacquiao. In Pacquiao fight with Cotto, Cotto was backpedalling running away from Pacquiao for the last 2 or 3 rounds which was boring and ridiculous. Mayweather will do the same, backpedalling and running away from Pacquiao, but for most of the 12 rounds. So, this fight if held will be disappointingly boring. It will be a waste of our pay per view charges. Sue them and don't fight Mayweather.
Look People...
Look people, if both Floyd and Manny can agree and compromise, that's all that matters. This is the fight that the sport of boxing need. Whether you agree with blood testing or not, that's not for us to decide. That's something Manny, Floyd, the promoters have to resolve by themselves.
Although it's not common and standard practice, blood testing is not new to pro boxing. Especially in Nevada, if both fighters agree to blood testing and put it on contract, the NSAC has no problem with that. A fighter demanding blood testing for a fight is not new either. Zab Judah demanded it when he was scheduled to fight Shane Mosley a couple years ago. (too bad, that would've been a good fight if I might add)
Stop all these back and forth tussle, let the fighters figure that out. We're not the ones fighting, they are. If and when they agree to a compromise, then we'd all be happy.
Peace out!
First of all Manny did take a
First of all Manny did take a blood test 2 weeks before the Hatton fight. That's a fact caught on tape you moron. Secondly, I along with all of the fans in the boxing community want this fight to happen coz this is in fact the biggest fight since probably Ali-Frazier. Manny is one of my favorite fighters but I'm also a boxing fan who also likes other fighters out there (Ali, Arguello, Leonard, etc.). There are two types of fans, one is the typical Pacquiao fans who doesn't know boxing and could care less about it other Pacquiao and are incapable of making unbiased comments. You two are obviously one of those. And then are Pacquiao fans who are also boxing fans as a whole and follow the sport closely, think and see the bigger picture, know boxing, and makes unbiased comments. So you two need to get your heads out of Manny's pants and take your mouth of his d!*k so you can make some unbiased comments and see the whole picture of why this fight needs to happen. The sport of boxing is bigger than Manny and Floyd, and they both need to figure it out.
If you really have the ability to comprehend what you read then you'll realize that all I've been trying to say is that all parties involved, Manny, Floyd, and the promoters need to meet somewhere in the middle and figure out a solution that's fair and agreeable to both sides. And FYI all boxers who fight in Nevada get blood tested at least once before a fight (not for drugs albeit but for HIV, Hep, etc.) So blood testing in boxing is nothing new although not common as long as both fighters agree to it and put it on contract. Shane Mosley was blood tested for PEDs before he fought Zab Judah because they both agreed to it. So if you really know boxing then you wouldn't act too surprised about blood testing.
Just because I made an opinion that Manny should consider blood testing doesn't mean I don't like him, and it doesn't make me less of a fan. In fact contrary to that. I think he's going to beat Floyd. Now point to me where I said Floyd's going to beat Manny? I never said it stupid. I like watching exciting fighters and Manny's one of them. Real fans criticize their favorite teams and athlete all the time, that's part of the passion for the game. I'm a Lakers fan and I criticize Bynum when he gets sloppy on defense, or when Kobe is hugging the ball too much, or when Lamar plays half a$s. I critcized Roy Jones for fighting way pass his prime and ruining his legacy. Just because my favorite athlete or team say or do something doesn't mean I agree with it. Only a stupid fan would. I think Manny should do some kind of testing (not necessarily what Floyd demanded, I agree what Manny proposed by the way which was 3 tests before and after the fight) and erase any doubts. And going to court is not the answer. Manny will not win a defamation lawsuit in a U.S. court. You can ask all those Hollywood celebrities who's been suing those tabloid papers for years with no luck. Defendants always envoke the First Amendment and always gets away with it. If you know about the First Amendment and have a basic understanding of how U.S. laws work then you'll understand what I'm talking about. Manny will just be wasting time, money, and a lot of aspirin on it.
Personally, I think they shouldn't do the blood testing but that's not for me or the fans have control over. Some people will say blood testing is bull$h*t and some people will say it's necessary. But in the end that's for both fighters to settle and figure out. If they can come to a fair solution then good for them, good for the fans, and most especially good for the sport of boxing.
Oh and just FYI, Bob Arum was made aware of the 24/7 clip showing Manny tested 2 weeks prior to a fight and said he will talk Manny into making some kind of compromise that's acceptable to him.
ADEL
Infact i'ved also noticed that bro Zaide he is comparing everything to Manny(basketball,cycling..etc.etc) which is very different from boxing.Maybe he is too jealous to Manny (like Mayweather) thats why they do everything to down him.lol....
ADEL
The point here dude is that professional boxing already has rules set. And why does the Mayweather camp setting new rules? Why they didn't ask for this rule long time back when he was still new in professional boxing? This shows that he is very very afraid to fight Pacquiao. If he's really confident that he could beat Pacquiao, then by all means he should fight even without this blood test!
I think a blood test right after the fight is enough to know if a person is under the influence of any illegal substance. Just like in driving under the influence of alcohol/drugs, the law accepts the results based on blood tests or urine tests right after the crime was committed.
Now, you should stop bringing up misleading fictional stories. It only shows that you're as stupid as the Mayweathers! Or maybe you name is Adel Mayweather! hahahahaha!
MANNY WAS BLOOD TESTED 14 DAYS BEFORE HATTON FIGHT
It's been pointed out that Manny has submitted to blood testing about 14 days before he fought Hatton. Now it wasn't to check for drugs but rather a routine blood test that the NSAC does to check for HIV, Hep B & C.. It was actually shown on HBO 24/7 with Manny getting his blood drawn. Now both promoters will be trying to come up with a compromise and cutoff date on when to stop blood testing. Bob Arum said he'll try and talk to Manny about making some kind of compromise that would satisfy Manny.
It seems like there's still hope to save this fight..
A black eye to Boxing...
When it was reported weeks ago that the fight was close to getting done, I knew it was too good to be true. I thought the negotiations would drag on for so long, well it turned out to be that way. I didn't expect blood testing would be the hindrance. I always thought it would be about money..
The whole negotiation is absolutely getting ridiculous and frustrating as heck for the boxing community and it's fans. Boxing has been losing a lot of interest and audience to MMA and this fight not happening is serious black eye to the sport. This fight is supposed to save boxing. This could very well be the biggest fight of all time, bigger than Ali-Frazier, Leonard-Hagler, Tyson-Holyfield, Oscar-Mayweather, just to name a few. It's so big that they've asked Sen. John McCain, a boxing fan to mediate this fight. That's how big it is, even one of the most influential U.S. senators today is being involved.
Both sides seriously need to get their differences settled and make compromises that's fair to both sides. This fight absolutely has to happen for boxing's and it's fans sake. Millions of fans will be left highly disappointed if it doesn't.