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Report: John McCain asked by HBO to mediate Pacquiao/Mayweather drug-testing dispute

By Zach Arnold | December 25, 2009

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The Canadian Press says that Manny Pacquiao is going to file a defamation lawsuit against Floyd Mayweather and Golden Boy over performance-enhancing drug usage allegations. This lawsuit is something Ricky Hatton’s father allegedly supports.

But the whopper of the day, on Christmas no-less, is the report that HBO asked John McCain to mediate between both the Pacquiao and Mayweather camps regarding the kind of drug testing procedures that both parties would find acceptable. The report says that Pacquiao later backed out of having McCain as a negotiator.

First observation — you want to talk about making a total mockery of the Nevada State Athletic Commission? Holy $&%! Even HBO is approaching someone else other than Keith Kizer on how to handle the drug testing situation.

Second observation — you want to talk about making UFC look great in public in terms of matchmaking and being able to put matches together? Yowzers. Dana White’s got to be sitting there laughing his ass off at this development.

Topics: Boxing, Media, Zach Arnold | 13 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |

13 Responses to “Report: John McCain asked by HBO to mediate Pacquiao/Mayweather drug-testing dispute”

  1. 45 Huddle says:

    If I was Manny, I would file that suit and never fight Floyd ever again. Once those rumors are out there about you, it is very hard to get rid of them for the rest of your career, no matter if they are completely false. Floyd is pathetic. This kind of kills people’s theories that this was just pre-fight hype. And this isn’t pre-fight mind games. This is Floyd being afraid to fight. He wants to either come in heavier or put his opponent through many more issues then are typically required to cause additional headache. That is pure scaredness on his part.

    “Second observation — you want to talk about making UFC look great in public in terms of matchmaking and being able to put matches together? Yowzers. Dana White’s got to be sitting there laughing his ass off at this development.”

    When I talk to casual fans, this is one of the major appeals of the UFC. That the fights happen when they are supposed to and fans don’t have to put up with the BS politics that are in boxing. While there are still politics in MMA and the system isn’t perfect…. that perception is a huge benefit to the UFC.

    And the hardcore fans bash Dana White for putting down fighters, but the casual fans do not. That is one of Dana White’s positives in their eyes. It’s talking from their point of view to get the fights they want to see.

    There is something to be said for a combat sport having a dictator to put fear into the fighters to not pull this Manny/Floyd BS….

  2. david m says:

    If this fight doesn’t happen, it will superficially vindicate Dana’s comments on boxing. Only superficially because Dana said that promoters have ruined boxing, when it appears that Mayweather himself and Pacquiao himself are the ones who are unable to work this out; the promoters did their jobs.

    45 the fact that casual fans of mma don’t criticize Dana for being an assclown doesn’t mean he isn’t one, it just means they are casual fans. I’m sure all those casual fans would rather see Fedor in the UFC than hear Dana call him a fat slob.

    I am still hopeful that they can find some kind of middle ground and do blood testing a few weeks in advance of the fight and then right after the fight. Floyd and Pacquiao would be absolute retards to let this kind of money slip through their fingers.

  3. jr says:

    Floyd’s gossip girl lifestyle is a disgrace to the sport

  4. mattio says:

    Fighters shouldn’t have to request that their upcoming opponent be given the hardest to manipulate doping tests. It should be a foregone conclusion that both fighters will be given blood doping tests (especially in a championship fight). The fact that it’s not is very worrisome and also very revealing on how serious the athletic commissions are in stamping out performance-enhancing drug use in combat sports.

  5. liger05 says:

    I do think the fight will happen. Too much money to be made for it not to happen.

  6. Ivan Trembow says:

    The NSAC doesn’t do blood-based drug testing at all, so unless they change their policies specifically for this fight, Golden Boy and Top Rank would not be able to compromise and settle on having NSAC-administered blood-based drug tests.

    Who knows how accurate this is, but it was reported on ESPN that one of the main reasons that Pacquiao camp doesn’t want the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency to do the testing is because USADA can (and sometimes does) wake athletes up in the middle of the night for a random, on-the-spot drug test, and because USADA can (and sometimes does) blood-test athletes very shortly before competition. I’m not justifying their rationale or taking anyone’s side in the PR game that is being played right now by Arum/Pacquiao and Mayweather/Golden Boy; I’m just pointing out what has been reported.

  7. 45 Huddle says:

    From my understanding, Manny is willing to take a drug test in early 2010…. About a week before the fight…. And right after the fight. To me, that is sufficient. I know others will disagree, but if that is true and he is willing to do that, it takes out any chances of him cycling for the fight.

    Floyd is scared and is slandering him in the process….

  8. Mark says:

    Yes, it would be easier if boxing acted under Dana White’s dictatorial style management. It would also be easier if the President did away with Congress and just put laws into effect when he saw fit. But I’d rather have a democracy than a dictatorship despite its headaches and for fighters’ sakes would rather have their business run the same way: headaches and all.

    When I talk to casual fans, this is one of the major appeals of the UFC. That the fights happen when they are supposed to and fans don’t have to put up with the BS politics that are in boxing. While there are still politics in MMA and the system isn’t perfect…. that perception is a huge benefit to the UFC.

    That’s such BS. Casual fans don’t even notice. Unless you’re leading them in that direction in the conversation by saying “Hey, isn’t it great the Great Leader clamps down on fighters so they don’t have heated contractual battles like boxing does?” there is no way any person ever said this to you.

  9. A. Taveras says:

    Agree with comment 4. Overall I see this fight still happening, and when it does after all this drama it will prob be the biggest fight of the new decade.

  10. Mark says:

    Also, McCain isn’t above getting involved in Nevada’s fight matters. He also made statements imploring NSAC to ban Tyson for life for the ear bite among other things. He stepped back from his boxing fanboyisms in 2000 when he started running for President. But now that he’s obviously done with those aspirations due to his age he can go back to caring about boxing.

  11. Fluyid says:

    I’d like to see McCain and Larry Merchant in the co-main event of this Mayweather vs. Pacman fight, which WILL happen, I predict.

    McCain would either take Merchant out early via superior intensity and rage or Merchant’s methodical plodding would take charge and put McCain to sleep.

    And no, I haven’t been drinking. I’m tired.

  12. Mark says:

    Merchant would just use the Obama debate strategy of calmly allowing him to burn himself out on his own anger like a “Rage-A-Dope” strategy.

    But of course Larry would never pass the breathalyzer test to be allowed in the ring so it wouldn’t happen. I’ll bet he could blow a B.A.C. point of 2.8 on an average telecast.

  13. Fluyid says:

    Agreed. I bet he could spit flameballs with his usual fight night breath.

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