boxing Archive

Boxing fans (Jim Lampley) were let down yet again when the Floyd Mayweather – Manny Pacquiao fight went from essentially a done deal to another mega-fight the public wants but won’t get. While a venue was being decided on, Mayweather asked for stricter blood testing and Pacquiao said no. Done and done.

But is the fight canceled permanently or temporarily? Is it truly dead or just postponed? Oscar De La Hoya gave his opinion recently that the recent cancellation is just a set back.

“That fight has to happen,” De La Hoya said. “It’s too big not to happen. We just have to cross one hurdle.”

Agreed. The public pressure, what with this being the only fight any casual fan cares to see, nearly made it happen once, and the pressure will return. Pacquiao has agreed to fight so and so and Mayweather is likely fighting whats his name, but once those fights are over, the matchup request is back. It makes no difference what either outcome is.

If Indiana Jones, John McClane and James Bond have taught me anything, it’s that the good guys always win. That’s why I still believe college football will have a playoff someday, and that Manny and Floyd will soon be touching gloves.

So Manny Pacquiao isn’t an idiot. In this game of chicken, Pacquiao has realized that Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s mouth may actually get him in trouble this time. Here’s what he said on Christmas Day.

“Enough is enough. These people, Mayweather Sr., [Mayweather] Jr. and Golden Boy Promotions, think it is a joke and a right to accuse someone wrongly of using steroids or other performance-enhancing drugs,” said Pacquiao, who denied that he has ever used any banned substance and who has passed all of his drug tests. “I have tried to just brush it off as a mere prefight ploy, but I think they have gone overboard.”

You can read the whole story here.

Manny, what are you afraid of? Are you telling me that needles really are that frightening?

And you, Pretty Boy, is the Pac-Man really that scary that you had to play the PED card?

This all sounds like a game of chicken, and we’ve got quite a few angles to pursue here.

1. Has Floyd Mayweather Jr. really lost his mind?

I mean really lost his mind. His camp is accusing people of using PEDs as if his name was Mitchell or something and he had a report he was working on for homework. I haven’t seen a direct accusation of this sort in a long time. I’m talking John McEnroe, “Answer my question, jerk!” kind.

(Totally ignoring the Tim Donaghy bit right now. He’s getting way too much attention for such a loser.)

It really is inappropriate to toss out a bomb like this, especially when the best reason to do so is some off-hand rumor you heard from probably an overzealous promoter/trainer in the biz. This isn’t going to go down like cream and sugar. It’s all molasses here.


2. What is Pacquiao really afraid of? The easiest way to diffuse controversy is to step right into the middle of it and spill your guts. No need to be mysterious or deny anything. Or deny denying anything. It’s all just wussified.

   If Mayweather wants you to get tested, get tested and prove him wrong. Then, throw it in his face by whooping that ass. That’s a win-win in my books.

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