Floyd wants testing up to the fight

MANILA, Philippines - Manny Pacquiao’s willingness to undergo blood tests 14 days before the fight is no assurance that his megabuck showdown with Floyd Mayweather Jr. is going to happen in November.

The fight between the two pound-for-pound champions was supposed to take place last March, but disagreements on the random blood testing came up, and they ended up facing separate foes.

Mayweather demanded random blood testing Olympic style, and that means drawing blood from both fighters in the months, weeks, days or hours before the fight, during the day or in the middle of the night.

Pacquiao agreed to have it done 24 days before the fight, but Mayweather insisted on 14. The other day, however, the Filipino superstar agreed to do it 14 days or even closer, but not on the day of the fight itself.

Pacquiao bending backwards just to make the fight happen was welcomed as a sign that the fight, which could earn the fighters around $40 million each, would take place on Nov. 13 either in Las Vegas or Texas.

But an article came out of The Examiner yesterday reminding everyone that Mayweather, the flamboyant, undefeated American, wants the blood tests done as he had always wanted, on the days closer to the fight.

“I gave him (Pacquiao) a chance, up to 14 days out. But my new terms are all the way up to the fight. They can come get us whenever, all the way up to the fight, random drug test. That’s what it is,” Mayweather was quoted as saying.

Now, unless Mayweather changes his mind, the fight is not likely to happen because Pacquiao said a couple of days ago that he’s willing to undergo blood tests as long as they’re not done so close to the fight.

“Huwag lang sa day ng fight (Never on the day of the fight),” Pacquiao said.

The entire Pacquiao camp, from promoter Bob Arum, trainer Freddie Roach, adviser Mike Koncz to the boxer himself, believes that Mayweather’s demand for random blood tests is his only way out of the fight.

“We’ve already agreed to all the terms, from the venue to the purse and to other concessions like Manny Pacquiao climbing the ring first, when Mayweather started making demands for random blood testing,” said Koncz.

Ronnie Nathanielsz of www.insidesports.ph reported yesterday that when Mayweather fought Shane Mosley last May 1, the last ounce of blood (testing) from both fighters were drawn 18 and 19 days before the fight.

“Arum noted, ‘by saying 14 days were required by USADA, if this fight doesn’t happen clearly there is only one person to blame and that’s Mayweather. These are all excuses made by him to avoid fighting Pacquiao,’” Nathanielsz wrote.

Arum said a week ago he’d try his best to “make the fight happen” and that sooner or later he would try to sit down with the Mayweather people. However, he said negotiations would be done away from the prying media.

Koncz said Mayweather knew that Pacquiao wouldn’t allow blood to be drawn from him days before the fight that’s why the fighter from Michigan asked for it.

And now that Pacquiao has agreed on the 14-day cutoff, the article comes out reminding everyone that Mayweather wants the tests done “all the way up to the fight,” even on the eve of the fight or the day of the fight itself.

“I’m afraid that once all these blood testing issue is settled, Mayweather will come up with another excuse. Maybe he’d start asking for a bigger share of the purse, which of course, again, Manny Pacquiao will not agree on,” said Koncz.

By Abac Cordero  (The Philippine Star)