by Jason Alcairo: Before any of the usual inflammatory muckrakers (read: Hemorrhoids) continue to misconstrue the facts, let’s take a moment to present the facts involved in the still (hopefully) upcoming mega-fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr and Manny Pacquiao.
False: Pacquiao has tattoos but is afraid of giving blood (Leonard Ellerbe, Mayweather camp)
Fact: Pacquiao is not afraid of having his blood taken. Pacquiao’s belief is that giving blood close to the fight within a certain period of time will weaken him. Regardless of any proof of the physical effect it may or may not, a psychological effect is not something that can be disproven. He does have tattoos though. Everyone knows that.
False: Pacquiao is unwilling to give blood. He is the one holding up the fight. (Anyone from the Mayweather camp)
Fact: As addressed in my first article, it is not the what but the when. The week of the press conference,no later than around Feb.13th,and after the fight are when he is willing to give blood. Immediately afterwards. So whatever he had in him going into the fight will be there after the fight. Again. Not unreasonable.
False: The USADA is the only fair way to test. (Adherents to the Juicer Conspiracy)
Fact: A Top Rank statement suggests the utilization of a different independent testing agency. Not unreasonable. It further quotes from an athletic physician Dr. Keith Pynes, who works with NFL athletes. He had this to say about the testing being sought.
““I have more than 800 guys who are special athletes who are all drug-tested. And the urine testing is sufficient that you won’t miss anything, especially with performance-enhancing drugs. So, yes, I believe that the urine testing is more than sufficient for boxing. If you’re using steroids, it’s going to come up for sure in urine. There’s no way it’s going to get through the liver and the kidney without being detected.”
False: Pacquiao taking the shots of a welterweight with no effect surely means he must be on something (Floyd Sr, Paulie Malignaagi)
Facts: Let’s take a look at the effects of steroids.
-Acne. Manny never seems to be covered in zits really anywhere if you look at him before a fight begins.
-Rapid weight gain. Again, observing the weights to which he rehydrated after making weight in his bouts since super featherweight, Manny weighs in and then swells back up a good 10-14 pounds on the night of the fight. There’s nothing rapid about it. He is simply able to exercise without killing himself to shrink down as much. Naturally, he can pack on more muscle allowing him to carry his speed and power up with him. As his nutrition improved, having come from a very poor background, his body responded and grew until he had to move up in weight.
-Aggressive behavior. Nope. Manny is always carefree,calm,and happy. Next.
-Jaundice. He’s naturally brown but his eyes have never looked anything more or less than normal. Nothing in steroid usage about pain imperviousness.
Human growth hormone can increase muscle mass, but not muscle strength. If Manny was taking HGH, it would slow him down with the increased bulk, hampering his well known speed. However, rice and a fish heavy diet will provide large amounts of protein. Coupled with his well known 5+hour training sessions, it should be of no surprise to anyone that he can gain and maintain a lean mass and knockout power. Being fed 5 times a day helps too. Finally,the Danish Sports Institute found in a study conducted that stamina decreases with HGH use.
That eliminates his solid, lean muscle build and incredible stamina as being the result of HGH use. Explaining his seemingly superhuman ability to withstand the hits of Miguel Cotto and come out smiling (and singing)? Simple. Pacquiao has his trainers beat him with a stick. Literally. This was displayed during the 24/7 series on his past fight. Beating himself with a stick in the ribs and legs will make any pain there seem minor. The mind is typically viewed as one of the greatest weapons one can rely on to get through the fight.This is no different.
So let the record shown that overly excessive blood tests are being demanded to disrupt the psychological poise of the #1 Pound for Pound fighter in the sport of boxing. This requires another compromise on both parties, which they should do. 3 times should be enough for Manny to test and alleviate any suspicions of steroid use. Except it won’t. Mayweather Sr will never allow this issue to die, and so long as people disregard the facts that are easily discernible from this whole situation, this entire matter will persist well beyond Manny or PBF.
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