By Edward Chaykovsky
Several years ago, Floyd Mayweather Jr. refused to face Manny Pacquiao because the Filipino superstar rejected Mayweather's demand for a random drug testing protocol. Fast forward to today, most of the top fighters are demanding some form of drug testing for sophisticated performance enhancing drugs. Even Pacquiao is taking part in a drug testing protocol for November's showdown against Brandon Rios in Macau, China.
"What's so crazy is at first it was like everybody was saying, "Floyd, he's a chicken. He's scared" and I felt like I'm not being a chicken or I'm scared. All I'm saying is this is the only even playing field. I feel like if I step up the plate and I'm the best and I'm saying that I want to be tested, I feel like every athlete should say it. Not just every boxer. Every athlete that's competing at the highest level should want to be tested if you're a real professional," Mayweather said.
"I feel I was the first one to take an important stand on cleaning up the sport. Now you hear every fighter, even with Timothy Bradley versus Marquez, now Timothy Bradley is saying that he don't want to fight unless Marquez tests. So you're constantly hearing that. Now everybody, or at least the guys that understand how important it is, are now is saying, 'I want my opponent to test. The guy that I'm competing against, I want him to take a test.' Like I said before, I started it all and now, like I said before, it's done everywhere."
