By Mark Vester
Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer is surprised that WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao is planning to sue his company for defamation. Schaefer spoke with BoxingScene.com's Robert Morales and maintains that he never accused Pacquiao of taking any illegal substances; he was simply following the instructions of Floyd Mayweather Jr. and his team [who Golden Boy was respresenting in the Pacquiao fight negotiations]. Pacquiao is also planning to sue Mayweather and his father Floyd Mayweather Sr.
Schaefer says "random Olympic-style drug testing" should not be a surprise to Pacquiao because the drug testing clause was including in the original draft of the fight contract for March 13. The fight has crumbled in the last week after Pacquiao and his promotional company refused to have the USADA handle the Olympic-style drug testing. Pacquiao was willing to take up to three blood tests in connection with the fight and agreed to use a company other than the USADA.
"The fact is we have never accused him of anything, nothing. We have been instructed by a client, which is Mayweather and Mayweather's management team, to ensure from the beginning that the proper test, which is blood and urine, be performed. That was in the first draft of the contact; this was no surprise," Schaefer said.
Schaefer is surprised that Pacquiao is possibly going to fight Paulie Malignaggi on March 13, since the Brooklyn fighter has been vocal with his own thoughts on Pacquiao's possible use of performance enhancing drugs.
"I believe in innocent until proven guilty. It is just that Mayweather wants the proper test to take place. It is as simple as that. If he doesn't want to do it, we can't force him. Nobody is accusing anybody of anything. Mayweather Sr. made that comment and I think Paulie Malignaggi made similar comments. And I think it's interesting now that he (Pacquiao) would want to fight Paulie Malignaggi, the guy who accused him of taking performance-enhancing drugs," Schaefer said.
Schaefer says his own company has a financial stake when Pacquiao fights and he wouldn't hurt Manny because of that. Golden Boy receive a very small piece of what Top Rank makes on a Pacquiao fight and less when a Golden Boy fighter faces Pacquiao.
"Obviously, he doesn't want to do the drug tests. It cannot be the needle because he has all these tattoos. I'm not accusing the kid of anything. On top of that we have a promotional piece of Pacquiao. I would have to be an idiot to try and destroy the guy."
Send News Tips and Comments To Mark Vester @ boxinvester@gmail.com
