By Rick Reeno
In December, Pacquiao filed a defamation suit in U.S. District Court in Nevada against the Mayweather family [Floyd Jr., Roger, Floyd Sr.], Golden Boy Promotions president Oscar De La Hoya and Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer. According to the legal papers, Pacquiao claims the defendants made defamatory statements by accusing him of taking performance enhancing drugs. Pacquiao had promised a big legal battle after numerous statements, that connected him to performance enhancing drugs, were made in the press.
The legal suit has done very little to discourage the ongoing chatter from the Mayweathers. Floyd Jr. has been very vocal about Pacquiao's refusal to accept his terms for a random drug testing protocol. When the two sides were negotiating for a potential fight, Floyd Jr. made a demand for a contract clause that called for both fighters to undergo random blood testing during the training period. The negotiations fell apart after Pacquiao and Mayweather could not agree on the cut-off date for the tests. Mayweather wanted the random drug testing to continue until it was 14-days before the fight, while Pacquiao wanted them to stop at the 24-day mark.