Pacquiao’s former trainer thinks Manny should take the blood tests

By Boxing News - 05/20/2010 - Comments

By Jim Dower: Justin Fortune, a former trainer for Manny Pacquiao, thinks Manny should go ahead and take the Olympic style random blood tests that Floyd Mayweather Jr. wants. In an interview by Ellie Seckbach of Boxing.fanhouse.com, Fortune says “I have no problems with Mayweather asking for drug tests for any fight. Every other sport gets proper testing, except boxing. A piss test? Are you kidding me? They are easy to get around. When there is so much money at stake in this game, do a proper test. I have no problem with random tests. If you’re clean, you’re clean. “ Fortune comes from Australia and fought at heavyweight, taking on fighters like Lennox Lewis, Andrew Maynard and Kali Meehan during his career. He now has his own gym called the “Fortune gym” in Los Angeles.

Pacquiao doesn’t like to have blood taken from his body because he feels that it weakens him for his fights. As of today, he reportedly has agreed to a 14 day window of no blood testing before a fight with Mayweather. Previously, Pacquiao wanted 24 days of no testing before the fight. Mayweather wouldn’t agree to this and their fight didn’t happen.

Speaking about Pacquiao’s so called fear of needles, Fortune says “Well what about all those f***ing tattoos on him? Pretty hard to be afraid of needles when there is a tattoo of a gun all over your f***ing arm. I do love Manny but you’re going to use an excuse, use something that’s more plausible. I’m afraid of needles but I have tattoos.” At that point in the interview, Fortune rolled his eyes and looked slightly disgusted.
Fortune thinks that Mayweather will beat Pacquiao if and when they do fight, saying “Mayweather is quick. Just as quick if not a little quicker than Manny, I think, and slick. He [Pacquiao]will never be able to land a proper combination on Mayweather. The son of b**ch can fight.”

This is what many people also feel about the fight. Israel Vazquez was interviewed briefly and he thinks that Mayweather would beat Pacquiao as well. The blood testing issue may not even be the hardest part of putting the mega fight together between Mayweather and Pacquiao now. It may come to the revenue split. Mayweather will likely be emboldened by his better pay per view numbers in his recent fight against Shane Mosley compared to Pacquiao’s fight against Joshua Clottey and could want a better deal than 50-50, which is what the last deal was during Mayweather’s failed negotiation for a fight with Pacquiao in February.



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