by Jason Alcairo: ESPN Boxing analyst Dan Rafael recently reported that the Manny Pacquiao camp is fully willing to submit to random drug tests if there is a cut off date of at least 3-4 days to a week. Should that be enough to save the fight? I think a majority of boxing fans would agree, yes it should be enough.
Contrary to what a certain contributor (and I use the term “contribute” very lightly) has offered, the drug testing is not just a “simple” blood test. These tests can be conducted at ANY time. They could wake 7 Division champion up at 3 AM and stick him for a sample. I will go on the record as saying that if the Floyd Mayweather Jr. camp will not accept the sort of compromise like a cut off date within a week of the fight, I will label him as a ducker. Roach says they will accept random testing to a cut out date.
Many of the arguments have been that Pacquiao could simply cycle off HGH or anything else that would be in his system if he knew when the random drug tests would come. I am not a doctor, but 1 week of cycling on HGH during his training would more than likely not give him any sort of edge compared to if he’s been using it during the duration of his camp. But, as discovered in a study by the Danish Sports Institute, HGH would kill his stamina.
So, for a recap of the situation:
A compromise has been offered by the Pacquiao Camp. Yes, they will blood test randomly. That’s what the Mayweather’s want, correct? Random testing from January to March 6th should be more than enough time for them to catch Pacquiao should be using performance enhancers.I don’t think they’ll find anything but salmon and rice traces.
It was never a matter of Pacquiao being afraid of needles. It was a matter of having blood drawn close to a fight that disrupts Pacquiao’s beliefs and psyche. You can’t disprove a psychological effect, no matter what 2 of the constant Pacquiao bashers of this site will tell you. Also, Pacquiao’s refusal to test is not an admission of guilt so much as it’s his way of being able to tell Mayweather that he WILL NOT have total control over the drug testing procedures. They can have their five tests.If they can’t find anything in that 2 month span,I guess Pacquiao’s always been clean.
Neither Mayweather OR Pacquiao have anyone else to fight really. Timothy Bradley has offered to fight Mayweather but seeing as how he’s the top dog of the Jr Welterweight Division and he’s actually well rounded, talented, and powerful as compared to Ricky Hatton when Floyd fought him, I doubt PBF is willing to take the risk. Arum has offered a potential Pacquiao-Marquez 3 but that wouldn’t be interesting for a number of reasons.
– Marquez hasn’t carried his speed and reflexes up to lightweight, let alone welterweight. Manny would make quick work of him. Before anyone starts, Manny was killing himself to weigh in at 130 and still going at it with Marquez and still going life and death with him. Marquez against a perfectly comfortable Pacquiao at 145? No chance for JMM. I think he’s an awesome fighter for his ability to still knock people out with slightly diminished skills in lightweight but anything above Jr Welter is too high,as illustrated by his sluggish and out of style fiasco against Mayweather. No matter what anyone says, he was slower than Mayweather, having to lead the attack (which as a counter puncher did NOT suit him), and was weighed down with the extra weight, taking his power considerably.
Arum has also mentioned talking to Lou DiBella about a possible Pacquiao-Malignaggi fight. Do I really need to say how quickly that would be over?
Of course, this could be an ingenious move on both camps to really pull in emotions and hype this fight up. Evil geniuses if so. And I’ll give them props for it. But this fight deserves to be made. Fans deserve to see it, even if it is going to be stuck in Vegas for the more well to do than us regular blue collar folks who would have preferred Dallas. Is a week cut off for the drug testing really that bad? Ask yourselves that. I think it is a perfectly fine compromise. We need that to happen. They need it to happen. A common view is they’d all be stupid to let this deal get away, and that’s exactly how it is with that much money involved.But more importantly? Their legacies would forever have that glaring spot that could have been.
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