Pacquiao OK for blood test, Mayweather bout continue

Mayweather vs Pacquiao

The Seven-division and WBO Welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao has agreed to Floyd Mayweather demand that he undergo a blood test 14 days before the fight, clearing an obstacle to talks for their much-awaited Mayweather vs Pacquiao bout. Pacquiao said he will not hesitate to be tested provided that the amount to be taken would be minimal, gesturing with his pointer and index fingers a measurement equivalent to a short syringe. The reigning World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight champion said he softened his stand after listening to boxing fans’ clamor for a mega fight between Pacquiao vs Mayweather. Pacquiao said he’d like to find out whether the drug test is really the reason why Mayweather backed out from the negotiations early this year. He said he earlier frowned on Mayweather’s demands, arguing that fighters should not meddle with boxing commission rules.

Pacquiao made the decision to fight Mayweather weeks after he received permission from his mother for one last bout. The blood test controversy was the reason the negotiations between the Pacquiao and Mayweather camps collapsed early this year. Pacquiao and Mayweather had agreed in principle to face off but a last-minute demand by Mayweather for Olympic-style testing did not augur well with Pacquiao’s handlers, saying they would not be bullied into accepting his seemingly-outlandish terms. The Mayweather vs Pacquiao would have fought last March 13, but Mayweather ended up fighting Shane Mosley and Pacquiao battling Ghana's Joshua Clottey. Pacquiao’s camp earlier agreed to undergo tests 24 days before the fight, but Mayweather’s group insisted that blood should be taken 14 days prior to the fight. Following Pacquiao's decision, Top Rank promoter Bob Arum is expected to negotiate with Golden Boy Promotions, which handles Mayweather’s fights.

As in previous training camps, there would still be the usual early-morning roadwork then gym work in the afternoon, according to the reigning World Boxing Organization welterweight king. Next month, Pacquiao will leave for New York to personally receive the Fighter of the Year award – his third – that will be given out by the Boxing Writers Association of America.