Lawsuit, Quibbles Make For A Very Bad Script By Manny Pacquaio

Blood. Weakened powers. Superstition. Sounds more like stuff from the trailer of New Moon, the hit vampire movie, and not the prizefight to end all prizefights. However, fanciful theatre is exactly what seems to be unfolding every time Bob Arum, Manny Pacquaio’s promoter, opens his mouth.

The problem, of course, is what fans really want is boxing. Yes, Floyd Mayweather’s request for Olympic-style blood testing is unprecedented. But in the greatest of ironies, he of the blinging notoriety and unpredictable petulance is staking a position of integrity. On the run is “man of the people” Pacquaio; the devout catholic whose middle name might as well be Pious. Just as peculiar, Arum, a Harvard law grad who defines gravitas in boxing culture, appears highly discombobulated by this doable request by the Mayweather camp. All this has left fans wondering what to make of Pacquaio’s inexplicable reluctance. With each misstep by his camp, Pacquiao’s very legacy is increasingly on the line as much as any championship belt.

I call the moves by Pacquiao’s camp missteps because despite having smart men around, they have offered nothing close to a legitimate reason for refusing the proposed testing. Pacquaio has no phobia for needles. That’s just silly. Further, superstition regarding blood loss is not a legitimate bar to the drug testing of a world-class athlete who stands to rake in as much as $40 million by some estimates. Stop it. The babble about inconvenience? Please. Juan Manuel Marquez drank his own piss training for Mayweather. Basically, pugilists are not a fickle bunch, which makes Pacquaio’s quibbles even more odd. In fact, adversity is a stripe generally worn proudly by boxers. And yet other things stink like funny money, including Pacquiao rejecting the possibility of Sen. John McCain who is a noted boxing fan, acting as an objective mediator.

So yes, I now believe that Pacquaio has in fact abused performance-enhancing drugs. He has loudly eschewed the least cost alternative - taking the test - for an unnecessary spectacle that has only furthered speculation and suspicion. And, oh yeah, Pacquaio will NOT fight Mayweather, not on March 13 or anytime after. He would not face the only boxer regarded to be in his class in Mayweather without the benefit of performance-enhancing drugs, as that may mean such a clear beating the cries only get louder. He will not risk that. He will move on to Paulie Malignaggi who, although accusing him of taking performance enhancers, will not let this stand in the way of his biggest payday.

Pacquaio’s latest ruse in his fantasy script does not help to exonerate him. It involves the filing of a defamation lawsuit that smacks of desperation and only heightens suspicions. There’s no suing in boxing! Boxing, unlike any other activity, allows a very convenient resolution to conflict – step in the ring and make your opponent eat his words. The lawsuit also looks desperate because he and Arum must know he cannot win. A successful defamation suit is quite improbable and it’s the reason most public figures simply handle the unsubstantiated accusations tossed their way with a stiff upper lip. Ask Tiger. For Pacquaio to win his lawsuit, he would have to demonstrate the “falsity” of the Mayweathers’ claims, and with convincing clarity. Ironically, there may be only one way he can do this. He should look to the Mayweathers for a clue.