As Skeptics Whisper About Steroids, Pacquiao Fires Back

Over the past week or so, Mayweather-Pacquiao has gone from a blockbuster of our lifetime to pipe dream on life support. Suddenly, insiders are saying it won't happen, promoters are discussing alternatives for their fighters, and boxing fans are just watching helplessly, holding their breath and crossing their fingers. This must happen, right? For the good of the sport. Come on. PLEASE. 

But one of the problems is that Floyd Mayweather's questioned Manny Pacquiao's integrity by demanding that he submit to blood testing. Now, others are getting in on the act, as Oscar De La Hoya recently wondered aloud about Manny Pacquiao. SB Nation's boxing blog, Bad Left Hook, had an emphatic reaction to De La Hoya's implied allegations:

In Oscar de la Hoya's Ring blog, he recently offered this quote:

"If Pacquiao doesn’t want to do this and risk a possible $40 million payday because he’s afraid of needles or believes he’ll be weakened by blood tests, then that raises question marks.

Now I have to wonder about him. I’m saying to myself, "Wow. Those Mosley punches, those Vargas punches and those Pacquiao punches all felt the same."

[...]

OH DID THEY?

If you've paid attention for a little while, say a year or so, you just might remember the famous Oscar saying after that fight that Manny Pacquiao doesn't hit hard.

Here's the quote, straight from Oscar, published by Michael Rosenthal of The Ring on February 20, 2009:

"I just didn’t care. I didn’t care if he was hitting me because I couldn’t do anything about it. Luckily he doesn’t hit hard. Obviously, if he would’ve hit hard, he would have knocked me out with no problem."

So which is it, Oscar? Does Manny hit so hard, the power of Mosley and Vargas, and thus you JUST HAVE TO WONDER if he's on performance-enhancing drugs, or does he hit so lightly that you weren't really bothered, just out shape and demoralized because you couldn't keep pace with him?

Of course, De La Hoya is closely tethered to Mayweather's camp, so it's no surprise that he followed Floyd's lead in doubting Pacquiao. But where those doubts might have been intended to provoke Pacquiao into submitting to Mayweather's testing program, they've instead left the Filipino legend so enraged that he'd walk away from a potential $40 million payout. That's a lifetime's fortune, but Pacquiao's spent his whole life maintaining his integrity.

Today, he released a statement on the matter, and he may pursue a defamation suit. Via the Associated Press:

"These people think they are doing the sport a great service. They are not," Pacquiao added. "To Floyd, despite all these accusations, may your Christmas be merry and I will see you in court, soon, too." 

"I have instructed my promoter, Bob Arum, head of Top Rank Inc., to help me out in the filing of the case as soon as possible because I have had people coming over to me now asking if I really take performance-enhancing drugs and I have cheated my way into becoming the No. 1 boxer in the world," Pacquiao said.  

"I maintain and assure everyone that I have not used any form or kind of steroids and that my way to the top is a result of hard work, hard work, hard work and a lot of blood spilled from my past battles in the ring, not outside of it," Pacquiao’s statement said. "I have no idea what steroids look like, and my fear in God has kept me safe and victorious through all these years.

"Now, I say to Floyd Mayweather Jr., don’t be a coward, and face me in the ring, mano-a-mano, and shut your big, pretty mouth, so we can show the world who is the true king of the ring." 

Good lord. To repeat: THIS FIGHT NEEDS TO HAPPEN. Mainly, because both sides have a point here. Floyd wants to be assured of a level playing field; Manny thinks the unprecedented proposal from Mayweather is overkill. What's more, the whispers about steroids have clearly struck a chord with the Pacquiao, who's proud of his record and integrity. But then, can you blame Floyd for connecting the dots and calling Pacquiao's integrity into question?

It all hinges on your perspective; you could make a compelling case that either man is on higher moral ground, just like you could say either fighter is the best pound-for-pound boxer on the planet. Which is why this fight is so perfect.

If it takes an independent arbitrator to determine an appropriate testing method, then so be it. You can tell from the statement above that Pacquiao wants to fight Mayweather, and I'm sure the feeling is mutual. But if Pacquiao continues to face skepticism over his refusal to be bloodtested before the fight, there's a chance he could just walk away and fight Paulie Malignaggi. For Pacquiao, you get the sense that pride trumps profits.

So while this snag gets resolved, let's hope Mayweather treads lightly with the steroid allegations, and people like Oscar De La Hoya stifle themselves. This fight's too important to boxing to allow allegations like this to derail things.