Manny Pacquiao prepares to sue Floyd Mayweather Jr., his father and Golden Boy Promotions for their accusations regarding Pacquiao’s possible use of performance-enhancing drugs. Mayweather’s camp suggests to implement U.S. Anti-Doping Agency guidelines that will require to submit to repeated blood tests few days before the fight. Pacquiao restrains from doing this as he believes that it would weaken him and cause an impact to his performance during the fight. He instructed his promoter, Bob Arum to help him file a lawsuit against the opponent’s camp for accusing him wrongly of using steroids or other performance-enhancing drugs.

Here’s an updated statement from Top Rank and Pacquiao:

SARANGANI, PHILIPPINES (Dec. 25) Saying that his character and person has been questioned, maligned, damaged and tarnished by baseless and false accusations, pound-for-pound boxing king Manny Pacquiao and promoter Top Rank Inc. announced today the filing of a lawsuit within the next few days against the Mayweathers, Floyd Sr. and Jr., et al, and Golden Boy Promotions.

Enough is enough. These people, Mayweather Sr., 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. I have tried to just brush it off as a mere pre-fight ploy but I think they have gone overboard, said Pacquiao in Tagalog while celebrating Christmas with his family here.

I have instructed my promoter, Bob Arum, head of Top Rank Inc., to help me out in the filing of the case as soon as possible because I have had people coming over to me now asking if I really take performance-enhancing drugs and I have cheated my way into becoming the No. 1 boxer in the world, said Pacquiao.

Libel, slander and defamation suits are being readied against the accused to once and for all clear out Pacquiaos good name and character.

This week, Mayweather and Golden Boy Promotions came out with a press release threatening to put a stop to the projected biggest fight in boxing history between the two top pound-for-pound fighters in the world, by asking too many unrealistic and unprecedented items on the bargaining table, including that of an Olympic-style drug testing.

I maintain and assure everyone that I have not used any form or kind of steroids and that my way to the top is a result of hard work, hard work, hard work and a lot of blood spilled from my past battles in the ring, not outside of it, added the Filipino champion who just turned 31 a week ago. I have no idea what steroids look like and my fear in God has kept me safe and victorious through all these years.

Now, I say to Floyd Mayweather Jr., dont be a coward and face me in the ring, mano-a-mano and shut your big, pretty mouth, so we can show the world who is the true king of the ring, said Pacquiao, who has been contemplating on filing a case against Mayweather Sr. even before the start of his Nov. 14 fight with Miguel Angel Cotto. I did not sue because I did not want to get distracted during that time because I was preparing for one of the toughest fights in my career.

Pretty Boy Floyd, face me instead on March 13 in Las Vegas and not in some talk show forum or in press releases written for you by people who dont even know me. Face me in a fight where I get to punch back. You and your cohorts have accused me of using performance-enhancing drugs. Now, I say, the burden of proof should now come from you, not me, said Pacquiao, the only seven-time, seven-weight division champion in the history of the sport.

Pacquiao said he is not against any form of drug testing mandated by any state athletic sports commission whenever, wherever he fights. He just finds it funny and stupid to change a system that has been set for decades now. Pacquiao undergoes drug testing and other medical examinations before and after every fight over the past 15 years and has never failed any of these tests.

These people think they are doing the sport a great service. They are not, added Pacquiao. To Floyd, despite all these accusations, may your Christmas be merry and I will see you in court, soon, too.

– Lance Pugmire

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Source: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/

The hotly anticipated fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao was teetering on the brink of collapse on Wednesday over a dispute regarding drug testing procedures, a debate that has some experts standing on Mayweather’s side.

On Wednesday, Pacquiao promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank proposed a drug testing schedule that would include three blood draws and an unlimited number of urine tests in an attempt to salvage the bout that hit a negotiating snag on Tuesday, when Mayweather’s side insisted on random Olympic-style drug testing administered by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. The world’s top two boxers had agreed to meet on March 13 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas for what is expected to become the largest-grossing bout in the sport’s history.

Arum said frequent urine testing is sufficient in the final 30 days to prevent either fighter from using performance-enhancing drugs. He said Pacquiao is willing to submit blood samples in early January, in mid-February around 30 days prior to the fight and then again in the locker room immediately upon conclusion of the fight.

In the interim, Arum insisted urine testing would be sufficient.

“Everything can be picked up by urinalysis,” Arum said. “Everything.”

Travis Tygart, the CEO of USADA, disputed Arum’s contention and said a combination of blood and urine testing is required to be effective. He also said that to be most effective, athletes would have to be subject to random testing while out of competition.

If any testing is conducted in the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight outside of what is mandated by the Nevada State Athletic Commission, it would be during competition since the fighters are scheduled to start training in early January.

“To have an effective program, you have to collect blood and urine,” Tygart said. “The reason for that is that there are some things that are only detected in urine and there are some prohibited drugs that are both very lethal and potent from a performance-enhancing standpoint that are only detected in blood. One of those, for example, is human-growth hormone (HGH). There is no urine-based tested for human-growth hormone. It doesn’t show up in the urine. It’s only a blood-based test. That’s true of a number of prohibited substances, particularly those that would enhance and aid a boxer.”

Experts told Yahoo! Sports that the amount of blood the fighters would be required to give is minimal and would have no impact upon their performance.

Pacquiao is reticent to give blood within days of a fight because he believes it weakens him, his adviser, Michael Koncz, told Yahoo! Sports on Tuesday by telephone from Manila, The Philippines, where he has been meeting with Pacquiao.

An extraordinarily angry Arum, who had harsh words for Mayweather’s camp, which includes the boxer’s father, Floyd Mayweather Sr., and Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer, said a deal would have to be reached Thursday in order to salvage the show.

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Source: http://sports.yahoo.com