As I’ve said many times before, the credit I give to Floyd Mayweather for his boxing I always grant begrudgingly because I find the guy beyond irritating. But the fight with Manny Pacquaio would have already gone down if Pacquaio would have submitted to Olympic style drug testing. And now, there’s documents to prove it.
A contract sent on Dec. 11, 2009, by Golden Boy Promotions on behalf of Mayweather to Top Rank on behalf of Pacquiao proposed a 50-50 financial split between the sides for a fight that would have been held March 13, 2010.
The eight-page agreement is so detailed that it indicates which of the two fighters would step onto the scale first at the weigh-in (Pacquiao), who would walk to the ring first (Pacquiao), who would be introduced first (Mayweather) and who had first choice of the locker room (Mayweather).
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Pacquiao’s side declined the 2009 contract offer because Pacquiao objected to Mayweather’s request for the drug testing. Though Pacquiao has subsequently agreed to Mayweather’s demands for random blood and urine testing, the sides have not been able to reach agreement on a deal.
Not mentioned in Iole’s piece but reported by numerous journalists including Dave Meltzer is that Pacquaio’s side claimed at the time that he wouldn’t submit to the testing because he was “scared of needles.”
In the years since, there’s been more BS that has gotten in the way, including but not limited to politics, money, and Mayweather’s legal troubles. Well, what do you expect? That’s boxing for you.
But it’s time for fans to face facts: you may like Pacquaio more than Mayweather, but he ducked legitimate drug testing.
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Ring TV reported over the weekend that Shane Mosley has announced his retirement.
Mosley ends his career with a 46-8-1 record (dropping five of his last seven) and titles in three different weight divisions. It’s a little late, but not too late to preserve his legacy. It’s always better to go out on top, but that didn’t happen. At least now he will and should go down as one of the better fighters of the last few decades.