Mayweather vs. Pacquiao, Playing the Blame Game
12-Jan-10 19:27
By Dustin M. Miller: As we all know Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao were tentatively scheduled to square off on March 13th in what could have been the highest grossing fight ever to take place.
Anyone who has been following these negotiations knows that the proposed meeting fell apart due to the drug testing issue. Over the last few weeks I’ve been following this story with as much interest as any other fight/story that has taken place since I became a devoted fan and follower of the sport in the summer of 2002.
Now that the fight has fallen apart, the fans and media have been starting to play the blame game. Some believe Manny should just take the randomized test to ultimately clear his name and others believe that Floyd never wanted the fight to begin with and only used this testing demand as a way to avoid the persecution of just saying no to a fight with Pacquiao. I also believe that a lot of the accusations thrown out by fans have been hasty arguments and have been largely based on which fighter they prefer and who they believe will win the fight. One thing I know for sure is that blame can be placed on all parties involved and isn’t as simple as Manny is afraid of a drug test or that Floyd is simply afraid of Manny.
Floyd Mayweather and his camp are to blame for even asking for this unprecedented testing procedure. Manny has never failed a test or been linked to performance enhancing drugs so why now of all times would you ask for a new testing procedure? While no one other than Mayweather Sr. has specifically said they believe Manny is juicing asking for these tests is confirming that belief inside the Mayweather camp. I believe stricter and randomized testing is necessary, but I don’t Floyd is doing this for the good of sport. I believe that Floyd saw that he was one making concessions (glove size, money split, and the ten million per pound overweight) and in his mind he was being pushed around in the negotiations and he wanted to make sure everyone knew he was the straw stirring the drink.
Manny Pacquiao and his camp have plenty of blame to be placed on their shoulders as well. One has to ask; if you are clean, then why oppose the testing? In a way Mayweather is giving you chance to debunk their claims of PED usage and you’re unwillingness to comply only creates suspicion instead of taking the test and eliminating it. Pacquiao and his camp have argued that giving blood that close to a fight will physically or mentally weaken Manny going into the biggest fight of his life. I find it hard to believe that this random testing would physically weaken Manny and no one knows what mental issues Manny has with this test. Manny has fought with much larger distractions than a blood test before and I can’t imagine how this would be such a detriment to him that it would cause him to not be ready for a fight with Mayweather.
You could also place part of your disappointment in the lap of the Nevada State Athletic Commission. It isn’t like HGH, steroids and performance enhancing drugs are brand new to the scene. We have all known for years that some performance enhancing drugs are not detectable by a urine test. The commission, when testing blood they look only for Hepatitis B and C, as well as the HIV virus. It is on the commission to look after the safety of each fighter and not using these blood samples to test for performance enhancing drugs seem irresponsible to me. With these negotiations being as public as they are now would be the perfect time to bring a consultant(paging Victor Conte) to explain the ways of beating test and how to properly cycle these drugs without detection and then determine whether or not a new testing procedure is needed.
I also have to say if not for the constant stream of ridiculous statements made by Bob Arum this fight would have been a whole lot easier to negotiate. For someone who removed themselves from the negotiations he sure had a lot to say about them and calling Floyd a coward in the press isn’t the way to get him to agree to your demands. Every day Arum would tell us this fight isn’t happening and I’ve got to believe because more than anyone he didn’t want it to happen. In my view once Arum got the word that Manny wouldn’t agree to the test he jumped into instant celebration. Arum knows how good Floyd is and how dangerous this fight could be for his Filipino star. This gave Arum an out, a way to continue placing Pacquiao against his other Top Rank stable mates and keep as much money as he could away from his arch rivals (Mayweather, Golden Boy, and Al Haymon). While Arum stood to make a fortune on this fight he also can continue to make good money on any fight involving Pacquiao and keep Mayweather and Haymon from getting what they want most(a fat paycheck).
The simple truth is that we all lost out on what should have been a great fight for now. We all know that nothing is ever over in boxing and these guys could be fighting by the end of the year, so you shouldn’t get overly disappointed or start thinking this is a dead issue. In truth Shane Mosley is the only one who benefits from this fight not taking place because I’m sure both camps will be looking to secure him first(if he beats Andre Berto) so they can use a potential victory over Shane as a bargaining chip if and when negotiations resume. All I can say for now, is don’t get too worked up over these negotiations falling apart because tomorrow is a new day and in boxing you never know what tomorrow will bring
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