MANILA, Philippines - Pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao is not taking steroids, based on the results of his drug tests released by the Nevada Sports Athletic Commission (NSAC).
Keith Kizer of the NSAC told ABS-CBN News on Saturday that Pacquiao has tested negative for performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs), including steroids.
Kizer said Pacquiao's counterpart, American Floyd Mayweather Jr., has also tested negative for drugs.
Pacquiao's laboratory tests were done in his hometown in General Santos, but were sent to Malaysia while Mayweather Jr.'s testing was done in Las Vegas and sent to Arizona.
The results came out 9 days after talks for the Pacquiao-Mayweather fight collapsed after both camps failed to resolve their differences over random drug testing.
Pacquiao, the only 7-division world champion, is now slated to fight Ghanaian Joshua Clottey at the NFL Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas on March 13.
Reports, meanwhile, said that Mayweather Jr. will also have a fight on the same date. However, the reports said the Golden Boy Promotions has yet to find an opponent for the American fighter, who has not lost a fight.
‘Floyd blew it’
Thousands of boxing fans were disappointed after the most anticipated fight of the year between Pacquiao and Mayweather did not push through.
Thousands of boxing fans were disappointed after the most anticipated fight of the year between Pacquiao and Mayweather did not push through.
Among those who was looking forward to the fight is Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) President Dana White, who had a spat with Mayweather after the American boxer claimed in 2007 that mixed martial arts fighters can't handle boxing.
“I think [Floyd] blew this fight,” White said in a report by 5thRound.com.
“When another fighter starts dictating a drug test, first of all, Pacquiao’s never tested positive for any drug but Floyd’s going to make him go through drug testing? That’s ridiculous,” he said.
White was referring to Mayweather’s demand to have Pacquiao undergo an Olympic-style drug test, which, in effect, sent a message that the Filipino might have been using PEDs.
White said that like other fight fans, he wants to see the Pacquiao-Mayweather match.
“I want to see this fight. I’m dying to see this fight.”
White said Floyd should have left the drug testing issue to the athletics commission to decide. “That’s what the commission is there for.”
“The athletic commission is there for the safety of the fighters. They drug test, they blood test, they do all those other things. For another fighter to be calling out another fighter for some type of blood work is [expletive] crazy. Just [expletive] train for the fight and fight; that’s what everybody wants to see,” he added.
There have been speculations that Mayweather Jr. avoided the face-off with Pacquiao for fear that his clean boxing record would be stained by the Filipino boxer. -- Report from Bev Llorente, ABS-CBN North America News Bureau
Source: abs-cbnnews.com
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