by Jason Alcairo: According to Leonard Ellerbe, Floyd Mayweather Jr. will be once again demanding random blood and urine testing in the lead up to the potential fight against Sugar Shane Mosley. Leonard told the Grand Rapids Press, “Whoever fights Floyd Mayweather in the future, that person will be subjected to random blood and urine testing. I don’t care who it is.”
He continued, “I don’t care who he fights, that will be the case. Floyd will be out front, championing this effort to change the way the sport is handled in the future. “Personally, I see this revelation leading to several view points.
Firstly, many people will believe that this will make Pacquiao look like a coward for refusing the tests. While that can be viewed as a viable point, you must remember that for him to ask Shane Mosley of this would be entirely reasonable given Shane’s admitted/discovered use of PEDs during the BALCO fiasco. No one is yet to have come out with any substantial evidence of Pacquiao having any sort of involvement whatsoever in using the illicit substances. None. Nothing from detractors, or former teams or trainers, zero. Even the supposed e-mails to the Mayweather camp from the failed negotiations of the past month have not come to light. Tim Smith of the New York Daily news,who originally reported on the e-mails, is yet to substantiate his article. Nor Teddy Atlas who repeated the alleged e-mails during a Friday Night Fights telecast two weeks ago has actually seen the damning evidence.
Second, this can be seen as an incredibly fortunate chance (or PR stunt) for Mayweather to flip what were seen as unnecessary and overly intrusive demands into an actual basis to his belief in trying to clean up the sport of boxing. His demands for the tests ruffled the feathers of many boxing fans, especially dedicated Floyd detractors, who thought he was using tests Pacquiao would not agree to as a way to let the fight break down and cast a shadow of doubt over Pacquiao’s achievements. While the damage has undoubtedly been done to Pacquiao’s reputation, if he actually does demand Mosley to take blood tests and gets his way,it effectively backs Pacquiao into a corner.
A third point is that Pacquiao, once seeing that he wasn’t just being singled out, will readily agree to fighting Mayweather should he beat Clottey, which I feel that he can and will. In the end, Mayweather will get the huge payday he has been seeking with Pacquiao, especially should the demands be the same as the original ones,including ring size, glove size,purse split, etc. The added hype will only increase the money that can be generated to a fight that really already hyped itself should it have gone through to begin with.
My hope is that the first point doesn’t be come the most prevalent of the three. With zero evidence aside from assertions and incorrect observations from 2 other boxers, this will be another sinister whisper that just won’t go away from a man that deserves better. I don’t see Mayweather’s facade as the white knight of boxing reform to be authentic to be honest but I will be hard pressed to say that the man can’t spin hype. If there’s one thing Floyd can do right, it’s counter, and he’s doing a hell of a job displaying just that in this case.
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