By Ronnie Nathanielsz
Las Vegas - The Executive Director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, Keith Kizer today debunked allegations by Floyd Mayweather Sr that Filipino boxing hero Manny Pacquiao is on steroids or some other performance-enhancing supplements.
Kizer cleared Pacquiao in an exclusive interview with BoxingScene.com, ABS-CBN and Standard Today even as Mayweather Sr repeated the allegations.
Kizer said “I can tell you that Mr. Pacquiao every time he fought here he has been tested as has his opponent and he’s passed every drug test we have given him, every steroid test we’ve given him and I don’t expect that to change anytime soon.”
Kizer said the NSAC does tests for “steroids and for drug abuse - marijuana, cocaine etc. We do that before the fight and after the fight. Every time he (Pacquiao) has fought for the title here he’s been tested and he passed every test.”
When informed about how Pacquiao is adored in the Philippines and how angry Filipinos are over Mayweather Sr’s accusations, Kizer who is a lawyer, explained that “in boxing you see a lot of mind games are played and that’s understandable but I hope that if anyone had allegations of steroid use and drug use against a fighter that they have something to back that up with.”
In an interview with the BoxingScene.com/ABS-CBN team, Mayweather Sr said he was standing by his earlier statement that Pacquiao “was on steroids or some type of supplements or some type of enhancing drugs.”
Mayweather Sr claimed that drugs “can be hidden where they don’t show” but added “he’s going to get caught, when I don’t know.”
At the same time Mayweather Sr claimed “a lot of people were giving Pacquiao more credit than he deserved” for his victories over Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky “The Hitman” Hatton.
Pacquiao’s conditioning expert Alex Ariza flatly denied Mayweather Sr’s claim that Pacquiao was on steroids saying “I don’t give him any of that stuff. Makes no sense.”
