In demolishing by way of knocking out cold just inside two rounds the cocky WBO light welterweight champion Ricky Hatton of England with just a single Phantom-like punch in May 2009, Manny Pacquiao sent fear and notice to Floyd Mayweather, Jr. that he is one who cannot just easily be intimidated by bullies. From what he saw of Pacquiao’s easy knockout of Hatton, Mayweather perhaps had already this fear of him and learned that Pacquiao cannot just be pushed around in a fight. On learning further that Pacquiao can command a big crowd and rake in huge ppv viewers, Mayweather in later negotiations toned down his demand for a bigger share if they can agree to a fight to just 50-50. However, he unleashed a caper that shocked Pacquiao.
For his fight with Pacquiao to push through this time, Mayweather wanted to impose his own rule, that is, they both must go through strict urine and blood tests weeks and days before their fight just like those done in the Olympics. Knowing that Pacquiao dreads being extracted of blood days before a fight, Mayweather hammered on this as this is his only way out of this fight if Pacquiao dissents to his demands.
As can be recalled, when Pacquiao lost a 12-round decision to Erik Morales in March 2005 in Las Vegas watched by this writer at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, Pacquiao blamed his loss to the extraction of his blood for blood test a day before the fight. He reasoned out that the extraction weakened him during the fight. However, this writer saw that the cut in his eyebrow he suffered in the 5th round from an accidental head butt that bothered him from thereon was more to blame, and the fact that Morales happened just to be the better fighter that night as can be seen from the judges’ score cards. Whichever is correct, Pacquiao just doesn’t want that to happen again, just in case.
With both protagonists unable to agree when and where to fight of what the press describes as another “Fight of the Century”, Mayweather has yet to show a genuine willingness to face Pacquiao. After beating a newly-turned light welterweight and an outsized opponent Juan Manuel Marquez who happens to be a former Pacquiao victim by just a decision in his first comeback fight, Mayweather again insisted on his demands for those urine and blood tests to his liking. With the talks bogged down and going nowhere for the nth time, both fighters went on different ways to boost their stocks and face value.
In annexing the WBO welterweight title in November 2009 by way of a technical knockout of Champion Miguel Cotto, Pacquiao stamped his name in history as the first man ever to win seven division titles in boxing. Such heaven-high feat is hard to accomplish for mere mortals that this can never be duplicated even for a long, long time. That perhaps, may even be the very reasons why Mayweather keeps stalling the talks of his match-up with Pacquiao.
By analyzing the contents of his statements and that of his father’s, Floyd, Sr., one with keen insights of their behaviors with regards to Pacquiao’s popularity and rise to stardom would sight that both father and son are just jealous of what Pacquiao has accomplished in his career. By pointing to Pacquiao’s rise from just a mere 106 lb. (light- flyweight) fighter to become a 147 lb. (welterweight) champion that he is now or for a jump of 41 lb. in just a few years, the Mayweathers believe that such accomplishments are just too impossible for a man of Pacquiao’s size. And the facts that Pacquiao earned those titles by way of knockouts against bigger and heavier champions on the way, the more that both men believe that he could not possibly do them without taking illegal drugs to enhance his strength and staying power. In short, they suspect Pacquiao as a drug user.
Buoyed by their suspicions and insinuations that Pacquiao is into illegal drugs like taking steroids or whatever that propelled him to win an unprecedented world titles in 7 weight divisions, the Mayweathers went on to the extent of expressing them to the press without hesitations. Without any evidences or testimonies to show or prove their accusations, the Mayweathers never wavered in their beliefs but Pacquiao stands by his innocence. And despite statements and confirmations from people like the veteran US ring commentator Larry Merchant who has followed Pacquiao’s career with interest for a long time, and by the Nevada State Athletic Commission that Pacquiao is “clean”, the Mayweathers never retracted or apologized for their stories. Thus, Pacquiao brought them to court for defamation for their unfounded tales.
To be continued…
