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Is Manny Pacquiao using some kind of banned substance?
By Jeff Stoyanoff
Sports fans love to ask questions and boxing fans are no different. However, often times the questions we are asking are misplaced. I have found myself asking a few questions as a boxing fan only to realize after some contemplation that the questions themselves just may be the problem.
This certainly seems to be the question of the year, but of course, it is a ridiculous and short sighted question. The problem is not so much with the question, but the subject; Manny Pacquiao is irrelevant and his presence implodes the discussion before it really gets started. I have found that it is impossible to write about this issue without at least taking a cursory pass at the initial question. The answer to the question is…we don’t know. With deepest apologies to the legions of Pacquiao fans out there, very few people know the true answer to the question; that is the problem. It’s not whether he does or not; rather it is why don’t we all know?
People love a nice dose of salacious drama and speculating about one fighter is a fun discussion that gets everybody’s passions up. But again, this particular question is pointless. The real question is, how will boxing handle an exceptionally complicated and difficult issue like PED’s when it is a global sport with disparate governing bodies and severe oversight problems to begin with? Whoa, everybody stand back for a spirited debate!
It is just so much easier to focus on one guy. But, it is really unfair. First, to Manny Pacquiao. Pacquiao might be partaking in some kind of PED regimen or he might be completely clean. The contention that he must be using PED’s is based on the most inexact process of simply observing him in the ring. This inherently flawed process overlooks the myriad reasons outside of banned substances that would readily explain his recent performances such as: He was already a pretty big guy who fought at lower weights, he has improved seemingly every time out with a combination of a great trainer and an enormously high boxing IQ, not to mention the simple reality that a couple of his recent opponents simply were no match for him to begin with, and finally we are talking about a guy who dominated other great fighters before any of this came about. Having said all of that, those who believe that there is no chance that one of their heroes could partake in behavior like this given how easy it would be to do and the enormous financial motivation to do it are hopelessly naïve and are simply begging to be disappointed. Perhaps not by Pacquaio, but by someone eventually.
However, in the midst of all this conjecture, here is something that is absolutely impossible…Manny Pacquiao is using some kind of PED and NO other fighter is currently doing the same thing. This is the essence of the short sighted approach to this question. Has Pacquiao used any kind of PED? In one sense it doesn‘t matter as the problem is bigger than one fighter. Why should Pacquiao have to shoulder the entire load? Does that really address the problem? Does anyone wonder about the strength of the Klitschkos? Or the power of Arthur Abraham? Or, did anyone ever wonder about the incredible stamina of Joe Calzaghe? Or, the way that a one time middleweight like Roy Jones was able to put on upwards of 20 pounds of muscle while retaining his ridiculous speed to win a portion of the Heavyweight Title? None of them ever had to PROVE that their performance was natural. Don’t be mislead, Pacquiao should have to prove it, but so should everyone. Right now, we are heaping all of the blame on one guy and giving a pass to every other fighter who has the same motive and opportunity to commit the act. Hopefully those in power will resist the temptation to catch someone of high profile cheating and instead focus on what is surely a widespread and dangerous problem.
Guess what? Manny Pacquiao is going to retire, perhaps soon. And when he does, this problem will still be there. By that point, fans will have moved on to another fighter or maybe even another issue. But, this problem will still be there. There isn’t going to be a lot of discussion among fans about the real question; how does boxing address PED’s across the board? That discussion will put fans to sleep everywhere it comes up. Perhaps that is as it will always be; fans watch sports for fun and testing protocols are not fun. But, those individuals who help to oversee the sport need to ask the right questions before this issue produces the kind of tragedy from which the sport might not recover. It is a situation that requires strong leadership which is a frightening prospect in a sport devoid of that very thing. Hopefully, there will be some serious talk about PED’s and how to deal with them; I just hope the name Pacquiao doesn’t even come up.
source:http://ringsidereport.com/?p=4390
By Jeff Stoyanoff
Sports fans love to ask questions and boxing fans are no different. However, often times the questions we are asking are misplaced. I have found myself asking a few questions as a boxing fan only to realize after some contemplation that the questions themselves just may be the problem.
This certainly seems to be the question of the year, but of course, it is a ridiculous and short sighted question. The problem is not so much with the question, but the subject; Manny Pacquiao is irrelevant and his presence implodes the discussion before it really gets started. I have found that it is impossible to write about this issue without at least taking a cursory pass at the initial question. The answer to the question is…we don’t know. With deepest apologies to the legions of Pacquiao fans out there, very few people know the true answer to the question; that is the problem. It’s not whether he does or not; rather it is why don’t we all know?
People love a nice dose of salacious drama and speculating about one fighter is a fun discussion that gets everybody’s passions up. But again, this particular question is pointless. The real question is, how will boxing handle an exceptionally complicated and difficult issue like PED’s when it is a global sport with disparate governing bodies and severe oversight problems to begin with? Whoa, everybody stand back for a spirited debate!
It is just so much easier to focus on one guy. But, it is really unfair. First, to Manny Pacquiao. Pacquiao might be partaking in some kind of PED regimen or he might be completely clean. The contention that he must be using PED’s is based on the most inexact process of simply observing him in the ring. This inherently flawed process overlooks the myriad reasons outside of banned substances that would readily explain his recent performances such as: He was already a pretty big guy who fought at lower weights, he has improved seemingly every time out with a combination of a great trainer and an enormously high boxing IQ, not to mention the simple reality that a couple of his recent opponents simply were no match for him to begin with, and finally we are talking about a guy who dominated other great fighters before any of this came about. Having said all of that, those who believe that there is no chance that one of their heroes could partake in behavior like this given how easy it would be to do and the enormous financial motivation to do it are hopelessly naïve and are simply begging to be disappointed. Perhaps not by Pacquaio, but by someone eventually.
However, in the midst of all this conjecture, here is something that is absolutely impossible…Manny Pacquiao is using some kind of PED and NO other fighter is currently doing the same thing. This is the essence of the short sighted approach to this question. Has Pacquiao used any kind of PED? In one sense it doesn‘t matter as the problem is bigger than one fighter. Why should Pacquiao have to shoulder the entire load? Does that really address the problem? Does anyone wonder about the strength of the Klitschkos? Or the power of Arthur Abraham? Or, did anyone ever wonder about the incredible stamina of Joe Calzaghe? Or, the way that a one time middleweight like Roy Jones was able to put on upwards of 20 pounds of muscle while retaining his ridiculous speed to win a portion of the Heavyweight Title? None of them ever had to PROVE that their performance was natural. Don’t be mislead, Pacquiao should have to prove it, but so should everyone. Right now, we are heaping all of the blame on one guy and giving a pass to every other fighter who has the same motive and opportunity to commit the act. Hopefully those in power will resist the temptation to catch someone of high profile cheating and instead focus on what is surely a widespread and dangerous problem.
Guess what? Manny Pacquiao is going to retire, perhaps soon. And when he does, this problem will still be there. By that point, fans will have moved on to another fighter or maybe even another issue. But, this problem will still be there. There isn’t going to be a lot of discussion among fans about the real question; how does boxing address PED’s across the board? That discussion will put fans to sleep everywhere it comes up. Perhaps that is as it will always be; fans watch sports for fun and testing protocols are not fun. But, those individuals who help to oversee the sport need to ask the right questions before this issue produces the kind of tragedy from which the sport might not recover. It is a situation that requires strong leadership which is a frightening prospect in a sport devoid of that very thing. Hopefully, there will be some serious talk about PED’s and how to deal with them; I just hope the name Pacquiao doesn’t even come up.
source:http://ringsidereport.com/?p=4390
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