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BS from Roach. Here's some more evident info for you to take in from Ben Thompson of Fight Hype.http://fighthype.com/pages/content10239.html
My question is simple. I wanted to know why you think the test is still a big issue given the fact the pacman himself stated that he would agree to all terms given by money? Also do you think the fight between money and pacman compares to Ali/Foreman or Ali/Fraser? Thanks SGT B
BT: The tests are still a big issue because, thus far, Team Mayweather has not been presented an offer which states, on paper, that Pacquiao has agreed to take the random blood and urine tests that they require. I think what's getting lost in translation here is that regardless of what people think Manny himself has stated, his promoter, Bob Arum, has yet to come to the table with an offer, on paper, stating that Pacquiao will agree to the testing. Arum has done a masterful job of making it appear as though he's doing everything in his power to make the fight between Mayweather and Pacquiao. So long as fans continue to believe that he's trying to make the fight, then it's okay for him to put Manny in with Joshua Clottey, Antonio Margarito, Shane Mosley and now Juan Mauel Marquez again, all the while keeping the majority of the profit from those fight as opposed to the cut he would get from the Mayweather fight. Don't get me wrong, he'd make A LOT of money from Mayweather vs. Pacquiao, HOWEVER, is it going to be more than what he's been pocketing from some of these past events? Opponents like Clottey, Margarito and even Mosley came at a cheap price in the grand scheme of things. That means less money out of Arum's pocket, and you can bet that he's perfectly content with that, especially if it means that he doesn't have to see a big chunk of the money going to Mayweather. At the end of the day, Bob Arum is in the business of making money, so if he felt that Mayweather vs. Pacquiao would make him that much more money than what he's currently making, believe me, he would have bent over backwards trying to convince Manny to take the tests and get the deal done. I mean, it's not exactly like he exhausted all efforts to make the fight a reality. Keep in mind, back in December of 2009, Arum was quick to try and walk away from negotiations and called the fight off on more than one occassion. Even after that, he seemed content with just passing notes to Ross Greenburg in attempt to "negotiate" with the other side. Those aren't exactly the actions of someone who's doing everything in his power to make the fight happen. It's what I like to call the art of non-negotiation. As for the fight itself comparing to Ali/Foreman or Ali/Frazier, no comparison to Ali/Frazier at all, but it's bigger than Ali/Foreman in my opinion. After all, if I remember correctly, going into the fight, Foreman was expected to smash Ali.
Hi Ben, I enjoy reading your articles. Keep up the good work. And have you seen this video (Pacquiao agrees to fully random blood testing)? What's your take on it? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5ns-kQqYrI -Jose
BT: Thanks for the kudos, Jose. Yeah, I've seen the infamous "Manny Pacquiao Agress to random Blood Test and Wants Floyd" video. Here's the thing though, in that video, I didn't hear Manny say that he'll agree to random blood tests leading all the way up until the fight. What I heard him say was, "We agree all his, you know, demands." The question is, which demands is he agreeing to? Is he agreeing to his current request of random drug testing leading all the way up until the bout? Or is he agreeing to Mayweather's original offer of a 14-day cut-off when the two sides entered into mediation in early 2010? The guy asking the questions was trying to lead him a bit by specifying that he did not require a cut-off date, which prompted Manny to simply agree and say, "Yes," but that still isn't a definitive answer in my opinion, especially considering how quickly the question was brushed off. Furthermore, that video was recorded in the weeks prior to his fight with Antonio Margarito. The funny thing is, there's another video that came out in the weeks prior to his fight with Margarito, except this one aired on HBO. In the first episode of HBO's 24/7 Pacquiao Margarito, while commenting on the mysterious second round of negotiations, Pacquiao's own advisor, Michael Koncz, states, "We pretty much agreed to anything on the drug testing except not within 7 days." Take a look at this link, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXBIh_NDPss, and let me know what you think. To me, it looks like Team Pacquiao is having a hard time keeping their stories straight. The bottom line, however, is that thus far, Team Mayweather has not been presented an offer which states, on paper, that Pacquiao has agreed to take the random blood and urine tests that they require, so it really doesn't matter what he may or may not say.
My question is simple. I wanted to know why you think the test is still a big issue given the fact the pacman himself stated that he would agree to all terms given by money? Also do you think the fight between money and pacman compares to Ali/Foreman or Ali/Fraser? Thanks SGT B
BT: The tests are still a big issue because, thus far, Team Mayweather has not been presented an offer which states, on paper, that Pacquiao has agreed to take the random blood and urine tests that they require. I think what's getting lost in translation here is that regardless of what people think Manny himself has stated, his promoter, Bob Arum, has yet to come to the table with an offer, on paper, stating that Pacquiao will agree to the testing. Arum has done a masterful job of making it appear as though he's doing everything in his power to make the fight between Mayweather and Pacquiao. So long as fans continue to believe that he's trying to make the fight, then it's okay for him to put Manny in with Joshua Clottey, Antonio Margarito, Shane Mosley and now Juan Mauel Marquez again, all the while keeping the majority of the profit from those fight as opposed to the cut he would get from the Mayweather fight. Don't get me wrong, he'd make A LOT of money from Mayweather vs. Pacquiao, HOWEVER, is it going to be more than what he's been pocketing from some of these past events? Opponents like Clottey, Margarito and even Mosley came at a cheap price in the grand scheme of things. That means less money out of Arum's pocket, and you can bet that he's perfectly content with that, especially if it means that he doesn't have to see a big chunk of the money going to Mayweather. At the end of the day, Bob Arum is in the business of making money, so if he felt that Mayweather vs. Pacquiao would make him that much more money than what he's currently making, believe me, he would have bent over backwards trying to convince Manny to take the tests and get the deal done. I mean, it's not exactly like he exhausted all efforts to make the fight a reality. Keep in mind, back in December of 2009, Arum was quick to try and walk away from negotiations and called the fight off on more than one occassion. Even after that, he seemed content with just passing notes to Ross Greenburg in attempt to "negotiate" with the other side. Those aren't exactly the actions of someone who's doing everything in his power to make the fight happen. It's what I like to call the art of non-negotiation. As for the fight itself comparing to Ali/Foreman or Ali/Frazier, no comparison to Ali/Frazier at all, but it's bigger than Ali/Foreman in my opinion. After all, if I remember correctly, going into the fight, Foreman was expected to smash Ali.
Hi Ben, I enjoy reading your articles. Keep up the good work. And have you seen this video (Pacquiao agrees to fully random blood testing)? What's your take on it? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5ns-kQqYrI -Jose
BT: Thanks for the kudos, Jose. Yeah, I've seen the infamous "Manny Pacquiao Agress to random Blood Test and Wants Floyd" video. Here's the thing though, in that video, I didn't hear Manny say that he'll agree to random blood tests leading all the way up until the fight. What I heard him say was, "We agree all his, you know, demands." The question is, which demands is he agreeing to? Is he agreeing to his current request of random drug testing leading all the way up until the bout? Or is he agreeing to Mayweather's original offer of a 14-day cut-off when the two sides entered into mediation in early 2010? The guy asking the questions was trying to lead him a bit by specifying that he did not require a cut-off date, which prompted Manny to simply agree and say, "Yes," but that still isn't a definitive answer in my opinion, especially considering how quickly the question was brushed off. Furthermore, that video was recorded in the weeks prior to his fight with Antonio Margarito. The funny thing is, there's another video that came out in the weeks prior to his fight with Margarito, except this one aired on HBO. In the first episode of HBO's 24/7 Pacquiao Margarito, while commenting on the mysterious second round of negotiations, Pacquiao's own advisor, Michael Koncz, states, "We pretty much agreed to anything on the drug testing except not within 7 days." Take a look at this link, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXBIh_NDPss, and let me know what you think. To me, it looks like Team Pacquiao is having a hard time keeping their stories straight. The bottom line, however, is that thus far, Team Mayweather has not been presented an offer which states, on paper, that Pacquiao has agreed to take the random blood and urine tests that they require, so it really doesn't matter what he may or may not say.
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