Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao Updates

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Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao Updates

Postby Keithlewis » Sun Dec 27, 2009 12:26 pm

http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/boxing ... id=4772853

There was movement by the Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao camps Saturday in the battle over how to handle drug testing for their tentative March 13 super fight, but the sides remain at a stalemate in an increasingly nasty negotiation that threatens a fight many predict would be the highest-grossing bout in history.

With all of the other points agreed to for the blockbuster HBO PPV welterweight title bout at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, the drug testing protocol is the final sticking point.

Mayweather -- whose father, Floyd Mayweather Sr., has accused Pacquiao of using performance-enhancing substances without any proof -- had been demanding the inflexible Olympic-style testing conducted by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. That would mean Mayweather and Pacquiao would be subject to random blood and urine tests all the way up to the fight and immediately following it.

Pacquiao objected, in part, because he and his team want assurances that testing would be cut off at a predetermined time before the fight.

Mayweather changed his stance Saturday, moving off the hard line he had taken on using USADA as the testing agency.

"We are OK to move off USADA," Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer, who is representing Mayweather, told ESPN.com. "What we're saying, and what is important to us, is four things -- that the tests be random, that they include blood and urine and the time frame, meaning when do you stop the tests before the fight but know they will still be effective. Three of them we have agreed on -- random, blood and urine. So now it is a matter of the two sides working out the specifics of the cutoff date to assure it will still be effective."

Schaefer said those talks are taking place between Bruce Binkow, a high-level Golden Boy executive, and Todd duBoef, the president of Top Rank, Pacquiao's promoter.

"Todd and Bruce are trying to work out the specifics of the cutoff to assure the tests are still effective because we know that 30 days before is not effective," Schaefer said. "At 30 days, we might as well not even do it. We want to figure it out [the cutoff window] and I will give my recommendation to Team Mayweather, and they will be on board. USADA is the most recognized one, but if it's another one, like the Nevada commission, we don't really care. I don't care who performs the tests as long as they are performed. That's our position. If this fight doesn't happen it's not because of Team Mayweather."

Pacquiao agreed to unlimited urine testing and at least three blood tests, one in early January around the time of the kickoff news conference, one 30 days before the fight and another in the dressing room after the fight. When Mayweather was insisting on USADA, Top Rank chief Bob Arum said Pacquiao was willing to revisit the number of tests as long as they used some other agency, one with which they could negotiate the protocol and assure Pacquiao that he would at least not be tested in the middle of the night or in the few days leading up to the bout.

On Friday, Arum said their side was willing to sit down with Golden Boy and the Nevada State Athletic Commission to work out the details of the testing. Nevada only requires a prefight and a postfight urine test, although it could also test blood if the sides asked.

But on Saturday, Arum, speaking from his vacation in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, backtracked, saying even the three tests were out the window -- unless Nevada asked for them, which Arum knows is unlikely.

"Our position is that since the fight would be in Nevada, let [the Mayweather side] make any petition it wants to the commission," Arum said. "We wash our hands of it. If the commission wants to take blood, fine. We don't care. But we're not going to pander to this petty [expletive] about how many days before the fight they can test and so forth. Who are they [Golden Boy] to tell Manny what he's supposed to do? How many times did [Golden Boy boss] Oscar De La Hoya ever give blood before a fight? I will not let this kid get pushed around.

"If they go to the commission and they ask for blood tests and the commission says yes, we will do whatever the commission says. The commission says blood testing, we'll do blood testing. We're not going to help it or oppose it. We're not going to give any credence to this nonsense. They want to sign a contract under the rules of the commission, fine. We don't want the fight if it means Manny is going to be pushed around. Let the commission tell us how many days in front they want blood. Let the commission pick a date to stop taking blood. We trust the commission. Blood testing we think is unnecessary, but fine, we'll do it. But let the commission set the parameters. Let Golden Boy approach the commission and say we want to take blood when he's walking into the ring. Whatever the commission wants to do we will support, but we won't take part in this exercise in nonsense, a procedure which is contrary to how boxing has been conducted in Nevada for 40 years. The burden is not on us to tell the commission what to do."

Arum's appeal for the commission to handle matters may be hollow because although it has protocols in place for random urine testing during training camps, it doesn't for blood testing, and to put it in place in time for a March 13 fight is unlikely, according to Keith Kizer, the executive director of the Nevada commission.

"We're very confident that urine tests by themselves cover everything that needs to be covered, but if the camps want to do additional testing through a third party they are welcome to, as long as they also adhere to commission rules," Kizer told ESPN.com. "Urine testing we could run with today. We could test their urine every day from now until March 13. But blood testing is trickier because we don't require it. If the commission wanted to change the rule it would have to be at a public meeting and, at the earliest, that would be early to mid-January. We have done some urine testing during training camps. We have those protocols in place. Blood testing is a different story.

"We'd have to put it on a commission agenda. Golden Boy or Top Rank or both could ask for blood testing and we'd look into it. Whether it would go anywhere, that's up to the commission to decide. As of now, there are no plans for a special commission meeting, nor has one been requested from either side."

The promoters and HBO hoped to have the fight signed and formally announced at a news conference the first week of January. If they can't iron out the particulars on blood testing until a commission meeting, likely around Jan. 13, it would make finalizing the bout unlikely until at least then.

Schaefer believes that Arum's position of leaving it up to the commission is him "moving the goal post."

"The pressure is on Pacquiao," he said. "They keep moving the goal post like they did with the $10 million weight penalty [if either fighter is over the contract maximum 147 pounds], which we agreed to. They didn't think we would accept that. When we did, they had to find something else to make into a problem. So now they're saying it's up to the commission instead of wanting to negotiate the drug testing with us. I don't want to hear that if the fight breaks up it was because of us. When they came to us with a $10 million weight penalty, they didn't expect us to say yes. They thought we'd say no. So when we said yes, they had to come up with something else. Now we're off USADA, and they are going to come and say only urine testing if that's what the commission says. It's really frustrating.

"We are making compromises. It's a two-way street. If they back off again, I will shut off my phone and spend the rest of the Christmas and New Year's time with my family, and good luck to all of these fools."

While Arum is making plans for an alternative fight for Pacquiao against former junior welterweight titlist Paulie Malignaggi -- who has also accused Pacquiao of using PEDs -- if the Mayweather fight falls apart, Schaefer said he hasn't discussed an alternative with Mayweather.

"We haven't discussed anybody else because the fight we want to bring to the fight fans is the one with Pacquiao," he said. "The focus is on getting Mayweather-Pacquiao done while Bob is making calls everywhere on the Malignaggi fight. That shows his focus is not on Mayweather.

"How ridiculous is that that Pacquiao would go and fight the guy who makes accusations that he uses performance-enhancing drugs instead of Mayweather [Jr.], who didn't make those accusations? Something is not right. I don't know how to explain it other than maybe Pacquiao doesn't want the Mayweather fight."

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Re: Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao Updates

Postby Keithlewis » Thu Dec 31, 2009 9:34 pm

Pacquiao sues both Mayweathers

There's a fight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr., but it's not in the ring -- at least not yet. Instead, it's in court.

Pacquiao filed suit in U.S. District Court in Nevada on Wednesday against Floyd Mayweather Jr., Floyd Mayweather Sr., Roger Mayweather, Mayweather Promotions and Golden Boy Promotions executives Oscar De La Hoya and Richard Schaefer, alleging that they made false and defamatory statements accusing him of taking performance-enhancing drugs.

It could be the final blow that will kill the negotiations for their proposed March 13 HBO PPV super fight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, a bout many believe would be the richest fight in boxing history if it takes place.

But it has hung in the balance for days as the sides have been hung up on one item -- the drug testing protocol to be used for the bout.

Mayweather has insisted on random urine and blood testing for both fighters. Pacquiao, who has agreed to random unlimited urine testing, has balked at random blood testing, saying he would only take three blood tests: One in early January around the time of the kickoff news conference, one randomly up to 30 days before the fight and one in the dressing room after the fight.

The Nevada State Athletic Commission only requires urine testing.

While Todd duBoef, the president of Pacquiao promoter Top Rank, and Golden Boy executive Bruce Binkow, representing Mayweather, continue to hold talks to try to find common ground, Pacquiao filed suit.

"Manny Pacquiao's achievements come from God-given talent and an indefatigable work ethic -- not steroids," said Pacquiao's Los Angles attorney, Daniel Petrocelli. "He cannot and will not allow others to deliberately misrepresent his years of hard work and tarnish his reputation.

"We had no choice but to file this lawsuit. He's had an unblemished reputation. You cannot accuse an athlete of cheating. It's the worst possible thing you can do to an athlete. They knew he didn't take any performance-enhancing drugs and they made these statements anyway. There was no choice but to bring a lawsuit to protect his reputation."

Petrocelli said they would seek damages "in the tens of millions."

Petrocelli represented Top Rank a few years ago when it sued Golden Boy over Pacquiao's promotional contract after Pacquiao had signed with both companies. The lawsuit led to a cold war between boxing's two most powerful American promoters, but was eventually settled through mediation, paving the way for the firms to co-promote several major fights.

Also Wednesday, Top Rank chairman Bob Arum told ESPN.com that he didn't think the fight would happen and he was making plans to match Pacquiao with junior middleweight titlist Yuri Foreman on March 20 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, so Pacquiao could go for a title in a record eighth weight division.

"In my opinion the fight has no chance of happening and we should go and do other things and revisit it later in the year," Arum said from his vacation in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. "That is what I would suggest. That may not be how it works out. I don't know. It's a damn shame, but it's out of my hands. When I think of having to share a dais with those sleazebags, Oscar and Schaefer, after what they've been saying about Manny, it turns my stomach."

Schaefer, the CEO of Golden Boy, told ESPN.com, "As it relates to lawsuits, we never have a comment. We will refer it to our attorneys. That's all I have to say about the lawsuit."

He did say, however, lawsuit or not, he still hoped to finalize the fight.

"The fact is Floyd Mayweather is ready, willing and able to fight Manny Pacquiao," Schaefer said. "Bruce Binkow has told me that conversations are ongoing with Todd duBoef from Top Rank to find a solution to get this fight done, and just because there is a lawsuit, Todd has not represented to Bruce that they should stop talking."

Said Petrocelli, "Whether or not the fight is made, this lawsuit was an absolute necessity. [Pacquiao] could not leave unanswered the malicious statements to the public that he's been taking performance-enhancing drugs. These were irresponsible, reckless, false statements and he needs to address this."

Pacquiao said a few days ago that he planned to file a lawsuit, saying in a statement, "Enough is enough. These people, Mayweather Sr., [Mayweather] Jr. and Golden Boy Promotions, think it is a joke and a right to accuse someone wrongly of using steroids or other performance enhancing drugs. I have tried to just brush it off as a mere pre-fight ploy but I think they have gone overboard."

Mayweather Sr., in particular, has been vocal in his assertions that Pacquiao is using PEDs, pointing to the fact that Pacquiao, who began his professional career at 106 pounds, has won seven titles in a record seven weight classes while retaining his speed and power. He won his seventh title in November by knocking out Miguel Cotto in the 12th round.

The lawsuit, a copy of which was obtained by ESPN.com, alleges that since September, the Mayweathers, De La Hoya and Schaefer have publicly stated that Pacquiao uses PEDs.

Pacquiao denies he has ever used any banned substance and has passed urine tests.

"I maintain and assure everyone that I have not used any form or kind of steroids and that my way to the top is a result of hard work, hard work, hard work and a lot of blood spilled from my past battles in the ring, not outside of it," Pacquiao said in a statement. "I have no idea what steroids look like and my fear in God has kept me safe and victorious through all these years."

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Re: Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao Updates

Postby Keithlewis » Thu Jan 07, 2010 8:26 pm


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Re: Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao Updates

Postby BreakingBacks » Tue Jan 12, 2010 2:42 pm

I can't believe this fight was canceled.
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