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Pacquiao still willing to fight Mayweather
abs-cbnNEWS.com | 12/27/2009 3:12 PM
MANILA, Philippines – Despite his plan to file a complaint against Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and his camp for the doping accusations hurled against him, pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao said he still wants to face the undefeated American fighter.
“I'm still willing to fight Floyd Mayweather. I never said the fight was off or I do not want to fight him,” Pacquiao told Agence France-Presse.
The 7-division world champion maintained though that he will only face Mayweather if the American boxer accedes to this term – that the Filipino boxer undergoes blood testing only 30 days before the March 13 fight.
Pacquiao also agreed to unlimited urine testing plus a blood test when the fight news conference kicks off in January and another one right after the fight.
“If Floyd Mayweather Jr. does not accept these terms, then my promoter will find me another fight for March 13,” declared Pacquiao.
Negotiations for a Pacquiao-Mayweather bout reached a standstill because of a disagreement on the drug testing procedure that should be used.
But the fighters’ camps made some progress over the weekend as they made some concessions on the drug testing issue.
Some progress
Mayweather, who called for an Olympic-style drug testing procedure, pressed for the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) to implement the random blood and urine tests.
“We are OK to move off USADA,” Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer told ESPN.com.
Schaefer noted that both camps have agreed to have random blood and urine tests. Team Mayweather also does not care if the USADA will not be the one to carry out the tests, as long as they are conducted.
“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,” he added.
Schaefer also mentioned that Golden Boy executive Bruce Binkow and Top Rank Promotions President Todd duBoef 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.”
Pressure on Pacquiao
Schaefer went on to say that “at 30 days, we might as well not even do it.”
Top Rank big boss Bob Arum, meantime, said that they will let the Nevada State Athletic Association decide on the drug testing matters.
“Our position is that since the fight would be in Nevada, let [the Mayweather side] make any petition it wants to the commission… We wash our hands of it. If the commission wants to take blood, fine. We don't care,” he said.
“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,” remarked Arum.
Schaefer, on the other hand, commented: “If this fight doesn't happen it's not because of Team Mayweather.”
The Golden Boy CEO added that Mayweather’s camp yielded to Team Pacquiao’s proposal of a $10-million per pound penalty if ever either fighter exceeds the weight limit of 147 lbs.
“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.”
Schaefer noted: “The pressure is on Pacquiao.”
Cowards
As the drug testing issue swirled in reports, both Pacquiao and Mayweather (and their camps) called each other cowards.
“If Floyd Mayweather Jr truly ever wanted to fight me and he is not really scared, he would accept these terms I am willing to give him as they are above and beyond what the (Nevada) commission demands,” added the Filipino boxing sensation.
“I hope Floyd is not really really a coward and will fight me and give the fans what they want to see. I am not afraid to fight Floyd anywhere any time.”
Schaefer, for his part, said that maybe Pacquiao does not really want to fight Mayweather because of talks that Arum is looking for alternative foes in Paulie Malignaggi and Yuri Foreman.
“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… Something is not right. I don't know how to explain it other than maybe Pacquiao doesn't want the Mayweather fight,” he stated.
Both Pacquiao and Mayweather have never failed a drug test.
Court fight
Pacquiao, meantime, got fed up with Team Mayweather’s allegations that he has been taking performance-enhancing drugs.
He explained once more the reason why he opposed to undergo drug testing days before the fight.
“The truth is taking blood out of my body does not seem natural to me and mentally I feel it will weaken me if blood is taken from me just days before the fight… That does not make sense to me, why anyone would do that.”
Pacquiao also lamented that the doping allegations tainted his reputation.
“Dahil sa mahal ko ang aking bayan at ipinaglalaban ko ang dangal ng aking bansa sa lahat ng aking mga sagupaan sa ring, at may takot ako sa Diyos na siyang pinagmumulan ng aking lakas, minabuti kong magsampa ng kaso laban sa mga naninira ng dangal ng aking pangalan, bansa at ng aking Diyos,” he wrote in his “Kumbinasyon” column on PhilBoxing.com.
He was pertaining to Floyd Jr., Floyd Sr., and Schaefer.
“Wala akong dapat patunayan at sana, huwag nilang yurakan ang magandang imahe ng sport na boxing gaya ng gusto nilang mangyari — ang ***tahan at sampalin ang lahat ng tao at organisasyon kasama na ang Nevada State Athletic Association,” he continued.
“I am not guilty and I don’t have to prove anything because I have passed all tests in all my previous fights. I will all just see you in court.” – With reports from Dan Rafael, ESPN.com; Agence France-Presse; and PhilBoxing.com
abs-cbnNEWS.com | 12/27/2009 3:12 PM
MANILA, Philippines – Despite his plan to file a complaint against Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and his camp for the doping accusations hurled against him, pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao said he still wants to face the undefeated American fighter.
“I'm still willing to fight Floyd Mayweather. I never said the fight was off or I do not want to fight him,” Pacquiao told Agence France-Presse.
The 7-division world champion maintained though that he will only face Mayweather if the American boxer accedes to this term – that the Filipino boxer undergoes blood testing only 30 days before the March 13 fight.
Pacquiao also agreed to unlimited urine testing plus a blood test when the fight news conference kicks off in January and another one right after the fight.
“If Floyd Mayweather Jr. does not accept these terms, then my promoter will find me another fight for March 13,” declared Pacquiao.
Negotiations for a Pacquiao-Mayweather bout reached a standstill because of a disagreement on the drug testing procedure that should be used.
But the fighters’ camps made some progress over the weekend as they made some concessions on the drug testing issue.
Some progress
Mayweather, who called for an Olympic-style drug testing procedure, pressed for the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) to implement the random blood and urine tests.
“We are OK to move off USADA,” Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer told ESPN.com.
Schaefer noted that both camps have agreed to have random blood and urine tests. Team Mayweather also does not care if the USADA will not be the one to carry out the tests, as long as they are conducted.
“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,” he added.
Schaefer also mentioned that Golden Boy executive Bruce Binkow and Top Rank Promotions President Todd duBoef 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.”
Pressure on Pacquiao
Schaefer went on to say that “at 30 days, we might as well not even do it.”
Top Rank big boss Bob Arum, meantime, said that they will let the Nevada State Athletic Association decide on the drug testing matters.
“Our position is that since the fight would be in Nevada, let [the Mayweather side] make any petition it wants to the commission… We wash our hands of it. If the commission wants to take blood, fine. We don't care,” he said.
“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,” remarked Arum.
Schaefer, on the other hand, commented: “If this fight doesn't happen it's not because of Team Mayweather.”
The Golden Boy CEO added that Mayweather’s camp yielded to Team Pacquiao’s proposal of a $10-million per pound penalty if ever either fighter exceeds the weight limit of 147 lbs.
“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.”
Schaefer noted: “The pressure is on Pacquiao.”
Cowards
As the drug testing issue swirled in reports, both Pacquiao and Mayweather (and their camps) called each other cowards.
“If Floyd Mayweather Jr truly ever wanted to fight me and he is not really scared, he would accept these terms I am willing to give him as they are above and beyond what the (Nevada) commission demands,” added the Filipino boxing sensation.
“I hope Floyd is not really really a coward and will fight me and give the fans what they want to see. I am not afraid to fight Floyd anywhere any time.”
Schaefer, for his part, said that maybe Pacquiao does not really want to fight Mayweather because of talks that Arum is looking for alternative foes in Paulie Malignaggi and Yuri Foreman.
“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… Something is not right. I don't know how to explain it other than maybe Pacquiao doesn't want the Mayweather fight,” he stated.
Both Pacquiao and Mayweather have never failed a drug test.
Court fight
Pacquiao, meantime, got fed up with Team Mayweather’s allegations that he has been taking performance-enhancing drugs.
He explained once more the reason why he opposed to undergo drug testing days before the fight.
“The truth is taking blood out of my body does not seem natural to me and mentally I feel it will weaken me if blood is taken from me just days before the fight… That does not make sense to me, why anyone would do that.”
Pacquiao also lamented that the doping allegations tainted his reputation.
“Dahil sa mahal ko ang aking bayan at ipinaglalaban ko ang dangal ng aking bansa sa lahat ng aking mga sagupaan sa ring, at may takot ako sa Diyos na siyang pinagmumulan ng aking lakas, minabuti kong magsampa ng kaso laban sa mga naninira ng dangal ng aking pangalan, bansa at ng aking Diyos,” he wrote in his “Kumbinasyon” column on PhilBoxing.com.
He was pertaining to Floyd Jr., Floyd Sr., and Schaefer.
“Wala akong dapat patunayan at sana, huwag nilang yurakan ang magandang imahe ng sport na boxing gaya ng gusto nilang mangyari — ang ***tahan at sampalin ang lahat ng tao at organisasyon kasama na ang Nevada State Athletic Association,” he continued.
“I am not guilty and I don’t have to prove anything because I have passed all tests in all my previous fights. I will all just see you in court.” – With reports from Dan Rafael, ESPN.com; Agence France-Presse; and PhilBoxing.com
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