-F
Sats.

Why won’t Pacquiao consent to drug testing?
Reluctance to be tested has put bout with Mayweather on hold

Garth McLennan

sports editor

s of right now, the biggest super-fight of the
A= has been cancelled. Floyd Mayweather

Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao, the two biggest draws
in boxing, will not fight each other on the previously
announced date of March 31, because Pacquiao’s camp
has refused to consent to Olympic style drug testing.

Let’s get this straight. Both fighters, who are
basically #1 and #1A in terms of the best pound-for-
pound fighters on the planet, will not face each other
in a mega-event that has the potential to be the biggest
and highest-drawing bout of all time. Pacquiao, who has
become an international media darling after showcasing
near inhuman speed in the ring and demolishing Oscar de
le Hoya, Ricky Hatton and most recently Miguel Cotto,
is throwing away a guaranteed $25 million USD because,
according to his camp, he doesn’t want to be blood tested
up to a month before the fight. Why?

The most obvious answer is that he has something
to hide, and while there is zero evidence of that yet, being
seen publicly pissing away that kind of money (with
more to come when the sure-to-be-high PPV numbers

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18

roll in) and the rare opportunity to truly establish himself
and prove to everybody that he is the best fighter alive,
and better than the undefeated Mayweather, who toyed
with a smaller Juan Manuel Marquez in a unanimous
decision victory back in September after coming out of a
near two-year retirement.

Now, it could just be that Pacquiao doesn’t want
to bow to whatever Mayweather requests, meaning it
could all just boil down to pride in the end. When you
think about it, the argument could very easily be made
that Manny Pacquiao is the best there is, with or without
fighting Floyd Mayweather. He’s certainly racked up the
impressive wins to validate that belief. Even if that does
turn out to be the case, that is a lot of money and prestige
to just toss away for nothing..

Whatever the reason is, this is a terrible blow to
boxing. It has become increasingly rare over the last
decade to see two true superstars throw down with each
other, and this is one that everyone was looking forward
to seeing.

Who knows, though; things could turn around. In
the often wacky world of boxing, after a while you learn
to never say never in regards to just about anything, and
it does seem that there is just too much money and too
much drama at stake here to just let this one slide by and
not happen.

Neither man is that stupid.

 

 

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