Recent revelations are giving us a clear picture of the type of uneven playing field Manny Pacquiao faced when he met Floyd Mayweather last May 2 in the biggest money fight of all-time.
A report by veteran boxing writer Thomas Hauser alleges that Mayweather was discovered receiving a prohibited intravenous procedure in his home after the May 1 weigh-in and that he was given a medical exemption for the procedure by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) almost three weeks after the bout. Pacquiao and his team were also only notified about three weeks after the fight that Mayweather had undergone the IV treatment.
Now, while there’s the possibility that the IV treatment could’ve been used to mask or dilute a banned substance in Mayweather’s body, there’s also the possibility that the two intravenous mixes of saline and vitamins were just there to help the fighter rehydrate. But the real troubling aspect of this whole mess is that it shows how hostile the atmosphere was for Manny Pacquiao. It’s clear that the Filipino icon was put at every possible disadvantage while Mayweather did as he pleased, when he pleased, with complete and total impunity.
While USADA tripped all over themselves to accommodate Mayweather’s borderline illicit intravenous practices—after the fact—the same agency nixed Pacquiao’s request for a pain-killing injection of Toradol for his ailing shoulder prior to the bout, citing paper work issues and a lack of time to properly investigate the requested drug. One wonders what would’ve happened had Pacquiao taken the shot without asking permission and whether the agency would’ve been as accommodating of after-the-fact medical exemptions when the request was coming from Pacquiao.
Information in Hauser’s article shows us just how stacked the deck was against Pacquiao when it came to the overall testing protocol—allowing Mayweather loopholes and possibilities to game the system at will.
From drug testing to all the minor details of the fight, Pacquiao was working at an extreme disadvantage throughout the entire ordeal. Add an injured shoulder to the mix and one has to marvel at how close Pacquiao was actually able to keep this fight.
In the wake of these latest revelations of IV wrongdoing, Manny Pacquiao has publicly said that he now feels “vindicated” after years of being accused as the one playing dirty. Meanwhile, promoter Bob Arum is checking as to whether the pursuit of an overturning of the decision would be worth the effort.
All in all, though, it’s becoming clear that the entire game was rigged against Manny Pacquiao before he even stepped foot in the ring last May 2. It’s a shame, but maybe we all should’ve seen this coming.
Recent revelations are giving us a clear picture of the type of uneven playing field Manny Pacquiao faced when he met Floyd Mayweather last May 2 in the biggest money fight of all-time.
A report by veteran boxing writer Thomas Hauser alleges that Mayweather was discovered receiving a prohibited intravenous procedure in his home after the May 1 weigh-in and that he was given a medical exemption for the procedure by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) almost three weeks after the bout. Pacquiao and his team were also only notified about three weeks after the fight that Mayweather had undergone the IV treatment.
Now, while there’s the possibility that the IV treatment could’ve been used to mask or dilute a banned substance in Mayweather’s body, there’s also the possibility that the two intravenous mixes of saline and vitamins were just there to help the fighter rehydrate. But the real troubling aspect of this whole mess is that it shows how hostile the atmosphere was for Manny Pacquiao. It’s clear that the Filipino icon was put at every possible disadvantage while Mayweather did as he pleased, when he pleased, with complete and total impunity.
While USADA tripped all over themselves to accommodate Mayweather’s borderline illicit intravenous practices—after the fact—the same agency nixed Pacquiao’s request for a pain-killing injection of Toradol for his ailing shoulder prior to the bout, citing paper work issues and a lack of time to properly investigate the requested drug. One wonders what would’ve happened had Pacquiao taken the shot without asking permission and whether the agency would’ve been as accommodating of after-the-fact medical exemptions when the request was coming from Pacquiao.
Information in Hauser’s article shows us just how stacked the deck was against Pacquiao when it came to the overall testing protocol—allowing Mayweather loopholes and possibilities to game the system at will.
From drug testing to all the minor details of the fight, Pacquiao was working at an extreme disadvantage throughout the entire ordeal. Add an injured shoulder to the mix and one has to marvel at how close Pacquiao was actually able to keep this fight.
In the wake of these latest revelations of IV wrongdoing, Manny Pacquiao has publicly said that he now feels “vindicated” after years of being accused as the one playing dirty. Meanwhile, promoter Bob Arum is checking as to whether the pursuit of an overturning of the decision would be worth the effort.
All in all, though, it’s becoming clear that the entire game was rigged against Manny Pacquiao before he even stepped foot in the ring last May 2. It’s a shame, but maybe we all should’ve seen this coming.
USADA didn't "nix" his Toradol shot. The NSAC did. Next time, post an article written by someone who has taken the time to do the most basic research.
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