By Mark Vester
Top Rank's Bob Arum has made a final counter-offer to save the March 13 fight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. If Golden Boy Promotions does not accept his counter, he plans to move forward with finalizing a deal to have former junior welterweight champion Paulie Malignaggi step in as the replacement for Mayweather on the March date. Arum has give Golden Boy a Monday deadline.
Mayweather-Pacqauiao is on the verge of being postponed because of an ongoing dispute on the handling and schedule of the random Olympic-style drug tests.
Arum told the Los Angeles Times that each fighter [per his counter-offer] will agree to take unlimited random urine tests, and to let the Nevada State Athletic Commission decide if additional blood testing is necessary at their January 19 meeting.
"We will allow Golden Boy to present experts to the commission to explain why additional testing is required, and we'll explain our position," Arum said. "Then we'll let the Nevada commission decide. If Nevada says we need to do more testing, we'll do more, but if they don't, we won't. Nevada is the one who should have the say, not the fighters."
"If the commission says both fighters have to give blood as they're walking into the ring, we'll do it. But I want the commission saying it, not some outside group with an agenda. If they say no to this, that shows they don't want the fight."
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