Pacquiao-Mayweather: Duckers!

Calling off the supposedly fight of the century between Pound-for-Pound Champion Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao and Pound-for-Pound #2 Floyd Mayweather Jr. is not what most people would want it to be. We would definitely want the fight to go on no matter where it will take place. The location of the match would matter less to us, it can be done in Las Vegas or in Dallas, anywhere would do. Just get it on.

For the Mayweather camp, are you not satisfied with the drug tests being done by the Nevada State Athletic Commission for you are still wanting more? The Olympic style blood testing would have been good but to get blood samples from boxers just days before the fight is very much questionable. For me, the suggestions of Bob Arum about NFL-type of tests would be acceptable; go for it.

Now that Arum, [unofficially] calls it off, is saying that Pacquiao should move on and look for other opponents Golden Boy Promotions had some counters too; Richard Schaefer discloses that there will be no Golden Boy boxers to fight the Pacman.

One question in my mind would be "Who's ducking who?"

Money May has been claimed by many boxing fans and critics that he had been ducking some potential great fighters before; Shane Mosley, Paul Williams, and even Miguel Cotto. Was it all about the money and easy fights? Or is he just a ducker?

Well, it's all mind games. Maybe Mayweather Jr., doesn't really have the intention (that is if he's not afraid) to fight Pacquiao and just want to create a stir in the boxing world; setup a very questionable terms for blood tests so that the other fighter would opt out and in that sense he would inject the minds of the many that he's not the ducker. Floyd is one great strategist in or out the boxing ring no questions about that.

This is not what we, boxing fans, would want to happen for these two great fighters. We would definitely want them to face each other inside that boxing ring and prove who really is the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world. So for both camps, please make it happen.

Arum: Mayweather-Pacquiao fight can be salvaged

Boxing promoter Bob Arum on Thursday told this newspaper there is one way the proposed fight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. can be salvaged.

"Get rid of USADA, bring in one of the agencies that do the NFL and NBA and we'll tell them what kind of testing we want and they will do it for us and the fight will go on," said Arum, Pacquiao's promoter.

If not, Pacquiao will move on.

Arum said he already has reached out to Paul Malignaggi's promoter, Lou Dibella, about Malignaggi replacing Mayweather for the March 13 fight at MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

"Lou wants the fight, but he has to get a hold of Malignaggi, who is with his family for Christmas Eve," Arum said.

Malignaggi is the former junior welterweight champion from Brooklyn.

Meanwhile, junior welterweight champion Timothy Bradley of Palm Springs has thrown his name into the mix. He said he won't ask Pacquiao to do any testing other than that already provided by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. It consists of a urine test before and after a fight - sometimes, but rarely, during training.

"I feel I'm more than ready for Manny Pacquiao," Bradley said Thursday. "I would not require no (other) drug testing. Manny Pacquiao ain't doing drugs, man. He is just on top of his game."

Pacquiao-Mayweather was expected to be formally announced any day.

But earlier this week the Mayweather camp, represented by Golden Boy Promotions, told Pacquiao's camp there would be no deal unless Pacquiao agreed to submit to Olympic-style drug-testing provided by the United States Anti-Doping Agency.

That would require eight to 12 urine samples and three to five blood samples that could be taken at random during the promotion.

Pacquiao never has tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs and has fought 11 times in Las Vegas. But Floyd Mayweather Sr. has gone on record as saying he believes Pacquiao, who has had success in seven weight classes, is using them.

"Manny is not opposed to testing. He just doesn't want to do blood right before the fight," Arum said. "We have never been against drug testing, we have been against drug testing close to the fight.

"Athletes around the world have complained that this blood testing close to the event really affects their performance."

Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy, said he is trying to save the fight. Arum said he would agree to a system that would require no more than three blood tests - one in early January, one 30 days before the fight and one directly after.

Freddie Roach, Pacquiao's trainer, said he would consider a blood test as close as five days before the fight but no closer.

Schaefer was told about Arum reaching out to DiBella.

"I guess he is going to do what he is going to do," Schaefer said. "But I don't give up easily. I still think we owe it to the sport and owe it to the fans to get this thing done."


Credits to sgvtribune.com

Pacquiao-Mayweather may not happen!

The proposed megafight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. was thrown into jeopardy Tuesday with a demand by Mayweather's camp that both fighters be subjected to Olympic-type drug testing in the weeks leading up to the bout.

Mayweather's manager said the fight would not go on if Pacquiao didn't agree to blood testing under standards followed by the United States Anti-Doping Agency.

"There is no fight without Olympic-style random drug testing," Leonard Ellerbe said.

Mayweather's camp claims it was told Pacquiao would not agree to have his blood tested within 30 days of the fight because of personal superstitions. But Pacquiao's trainer, Freddie Roach, said he could live with some testing, as long as it wasn't too close to the fight and wasn't overly intrusive.

"I will not let my fighter take a blood test the day before a fight," Roach said. "If they give me a five-day window or something like that I have no problem with it."

Roach said he hoped the issue wasn't brought up as a way to get Mayweather out of the fight.

"He's looking for a back door out," Roach said. "We're eager to fight."

The fight, which promises to be the richest ever, had widely been expected to be formalized this week, with an official announcement Jan. 6. It was expected to be held at the MGM Grand hotel, with the biggest live gate ever.

But neither fighter has signed formal contracts and there have been disputes between representatives of the two fighters ever since Mayweather's promoter pulled out at the last minute of a trip to Texas, where Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was to make a proposal to host the bout.

But Mayweather's promoter, Richard Schaefer, said all other issues have been agreed upon.

"The good news is we have agreed on all the other points," Schaefer said. "Depending on what Manny Pacquiao decides to do we either have a fight or we don't have a fight."

Schaefer said he is still hopeful of the fight happening, based on the fact Pacquiao himself has not publicly said he would not accept blood testing.

"I am still hopeful because I really believe this decision didn't come from Manny Pacquiao, it came from somebody else," Schaefer said. "It's up to Manny Pacquiao to prove me right or wrong." Read more...

Vegas wants Pacquiao-Mayweather event

While big-time boxing promoters Bob Arum and Richard Schaefer had come up to some negotiations in ironing out a deal for a 2010 mega-fight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr., officials in Las Vegas, Nevada are scrambling to keep the showdown in their state. A possible Pacquiao-Mayweather event would likely be the largest-grossing boxing match in history. Predictions for the pay-per-view sales alone have reached as high as 5 million.

The pride of the Philippines, Pacquiao, is the top-ranked fighter in most sports rating of the world's best boxers with Mayweather, of course, in 2nd. Both fighters are in their prime, Pacman is 30 and Pretty Boy is 31, and both fights at welterweight.

Pacquiao, who is 50-3-2 with 38 knockouts and holds the World Boxing Organization welterweight title, has been named the Fighter of the Year by the Boxing Writers Association of America in 2006 and 2008 and is almost certain to win it in 2009. Mayweather, who is 40-0 with 25 knockouts, was the BWAA’s Fighter of the Year in 2007.

Arum, who promotes Pacquiao, and Schaefer, on behalf of Mayweather, met in Las Vegas on Monday and agreed not to speak to the media.

The majority of the most lucrative boxing matches in the past 15 years have been held in Las Vegas either at the MGM Grand Garden Arena or the Mandalay Bay Events Center, both of which are owned by MGM Mirage. Officials of MGM Mirage would be interested in the fight and would likely be the frontrunner to land it for the MGM Grand if the bout is made.

Though Las Vegas has landed the majority of the major boxing shows in recent years, interest from venues outside Las Vegas in acquiring a Mayweather-Pacquiao megafight is very high. Arum has received inquiries from many venues, including New Orleans, and Democratic political strategist James Carville has phoned Arum about trying to broker a deal to bring the fight to the Superdome in New Orleans.

One advantage Las Vegas officials will have in landing the bout is that Mayweather resides in the city and Pacquiao has fought his last six fights, and nine of his last 12, there.

Richard Schaefer, Bob Arum won't comment on status of Mayweather-Pacquiao negotiations

Richard Schaefer and Bob Arum engaged a day of negotiations this week, related to a potential Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao fight next year, but don’t expect either one to divulge much about talks that could extend for several weeks. Read more...