Las Vegas, Nevada – Bob Arum of Top Rank Promotions has declared the much awaited megafight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather, Jr dead on December 24, 2009, although continued efforts to find a compromise on a blood testing dispute.
Arum said, “It’s over… O-V-E-R.”
Arum had given a Thursday deadline for both parties to arrive at an agreement regarding the testing dispute – which remained to be the only issue that was left unresolved for the March 13 fight. However, since the Mayweather camp is still insisting that the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency was to conduct the tests, Arum believed there was not much left for both sides to discuss.
According to Arum, Pacquiao’s camp views the USADA as partisan, and that Pacquiao does not want to use them. In fact, Arum said he, himself, does not want to use them, mainly because the agency is so inflexible to the extent that they cannot be used.
However, despite Arum’s declaration, talks of possibly salvaging the megafight are still going on. Both sides, however, stand their ground regarding their biggest dispute. Who will test both fighters?
As far as Arum is concerned, there will be no fight on March 13, except a possible match between Pacquiao and Paul Malignaggi. There is also no definite idea whether or not the Pacquiao-Mayweather fight may happen later next year.
The main dispute between the two camps lies on the insistence of Mayweather’s camp to use the Olympic-style of drug testing for the fight. Although neither of the fighters have been linked to issues regarding the use of performance-enhancing substances, under Nevada regulations, boxers are tested before each fight in their dressing rooms through urine-based drug tests.
Since Mayweather’s camp also wants blood tests taken as these are more thorough than urine tests, and they want the USADA to do the tests anytime from the time the boxers sign the fight up until the actual event. Pacquiao has agreed to do both urine and blood tests, except for the possibility of having the tests done immediately before the fight as Pacquiao believes blood loss so soon before any fight will weaken him.
The only resolution that can be seen is if the USADA agrees to do limited testing. The odds of USADA agreeing is highly unlikely as the USADA aims to set an example that all athletes should be tested randomly and unannounced.
The fight between the two boxers was expected to be the richest one yet, since both of the fighters would be earning $30-40 million depending on sales.
