As I watched Manny Pacquiao destroy Antonio Margarito this past weekend, I kept thinking to myself, this is not the fight I really want to see. Yes, I paid for it and I watched it, but I didn't really care to see it. The fight I would much rather see is Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao. Surely I am not the only one who felt this way on Saturday night. Yes, Pacquiao was beating up a bigger man, but I saw that beatdown coming from lightyears away. Most of us have followed the career of Pacquiao and his rise up the weight divisions, kicking butt and taking names later, but the one fight we all crave for just can't seem to happen. Why? Well, it hasn't happened because of a blood test. Yes, a simple blood test. Sounds silly, doesn't it? It may at first, but let's take a look at the reasons why?
Mayweather, for whaterver reason, has a strong belief in his heart that Pacquiao is taking a banned substance in order to help him rapidly move up in weight while giving him an edge in strength and endurance without losing advantages like speed. To many, it simply sounds like jealousy, but to some, it sounds like a legit concern. Due to that belief, Mayweather has requested that Pacquiao, as well as anyone else he fights in the future, must submit to Olympic-style drug testing, which includes random blood and urine samples up until the day of the fight. This type of testing is not part of the standard tests that the state commissions administer. It is a request made solely by Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Earlier this year, Shane Mosley agreed to the tests before his fight with Mayweather and there were no complaints. Pacquiao, however, has refused to take the same tests, his camp citing a number of reasons as to why they were unwilling to comply. First, Manny was allegedly scared of needles. Then, it was because Manny does not like to see his blood drawn and because he has his own belief that the loss of blood will make him too weak to fight. Well, in my opinion, the only thing weak are the excuses themselves. For a man so concerened about needles and blood being drawn, Manny has multiple tattoos that would suggest otherwise. And as far as him believing the loss of blood will weaken him, I've seen him bleed plenty of times in his fights, and yet, he never seems to look weakened and still wins. But for whatever reason, despite what certain people say, Pacquiao and his camp have yet to agree to random tests all the way up to the fight, insisting on a 7-day cutoff due to their concerns.
This past weekend, the Pacquiao camp suspected that Margarito may have taken a banned substance (Ephedra) moments before their fight. The Pacquiao camp immediately demanded a pre-fight drug test on the spot, fearing that Margarito might be entering the ring with an unfair advantage. Many will say they had good reason to suspect Margarito, especially since they saw a bottle containing the banned substance in his locker room. Because they didn't want Pacquiao to be endangered in the fight, I agree, they were justified in requesting the tests. But Mayweather, regardless of whether or not he has concrete proof, feels the exact same way in regards to Pacquiao, hence his reason for requesting his own tests.
Mayweather and Pacquiao are both considered to be the two best boxers in the world, therefore, they should be looked upon as leaders in the sport of boxing. As a leader, you are called upon to set examples and begin new trends for the good of those who follow after you. Pacquiao, a Congressman in the Philippines who hopes to one day be the President, should understand that concept. Leaders make sacrifices to set precedents in the future for others who follow in their footsteps. Leaders do what is right. In this day and age, all sports, boxing included, have had issues with athletes using banned substances in order to gain a competitive edge and honestly, it may never end. Although it is the job of the state commissions to stay on top of the latest drug testing procedures in order to prevent those things from happening, but unfortunately, they have yet to get it right every time and in several instances have failed in protecting the well-being of the fighters. So it is up to the fighters to take a stand to help the sport they love by going the extra mile.
Floyd Mayweather Jr. has begun to take a stand to try and clean up the sport. People will say he is using it to duck Pacquiao, and you know what? That could very well be true. However, until Manny Pacquiao actually agrees to take the exact same tests that Shane Mosley willingly took, we simply don't know if it's a case of Mayweather's fear to fight him or Pacquiao's reluctance to allow for the possibility of a random test on fight week.
The positives of what Mayweather is doing are that he's putting fighters on notice, telling them that they need to step up to the plate to help do their part to clean up the sport. Mayweather is not saying that others must take the test while he does not. He is asking his opponents to take the tests along with him. Despite all the negative press he has received for many things, his stance on this matter is the quality of a leader. I'm not accusing Pacquiao, or anyone else, of using anything illegal, but I am saying we need our leaders in the sport to take a stand. If you are clean, you should not have any issues taking random drug tests, whether it's 1 month before a fight or 1 day before a fight. So 8-division world champion Manny Pacquiao, I ask you to take a stand so us fans can be blessed with the biggest fight of our time. If you truly believe Floyd Mayweather is afraid to fight you, call his bluff and just agree to the random drug testing leading all the way up until fight. If you're right about Mayweather, he'll find another excuse to avoid you. If you're wrong, however, then we have a fight and the only thing you have to worry about is the slim chance that you may be called upon to shed a little blood before the fight as opposed to during the fight.