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Source: abs-cbnnews.com
-- Schaefer: Fight will most likely not happen

The Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) finally stepped in on the ongoing drug testing hullaballoo between the camps of Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and Manny Pacquiao.

“I don't know if this will help the chances of the fight happening. But with all this talk of drug tests, let's actually do one,” NSAC executive director Keith Kizer said in an Agence France-Presse (AFP) report.

The commission called on Pacquiao and Mayweather to submit to urine tests within 48 hours or else they would face possible fines or suspension.

Pacquiao, who is spending the holidays in his hometown of General Santos City, was asked to find an accredited agency in the Philippines.

The order on the urine testing is based on an out-of-competition testing regulation that went into effect in 2008, AFP noted.

The state of Nevada will pay for the tests, which cost about $150. The city of Las Vegas was chosen as the venue of the Pacquiao-Mayweather bout slated on March 13.

“That at least starts the ball rolling,” Kizer added. “We're always hopeful that when we do drug testing it comes back negative.”

It remains unknown, however, if the blockbuster bout will push through.

Final offer

Team Mayweather called for an Olympic-style drug testing procedure to ensure fairness. The procedure involves random blood and urine tests.

Pacquiao was apprehensive about undergoing drug tests ahead of the fight, saying that he feels weakened when blood is taken from him. The Filipino boxing sensation agreed to go through a blood test at least 30 days before the fight.

Pacquiao's promoter, Top Rank Promotions head Bob Arum, has made a “final offer” to the Mayweather camp, offering to have the drug testing decided by the NSAC.

Arum said Pacquiao will allow 3 blood tests provided that the proceedings are done 30 days before the fight, unless the commission decides otherwise.

The boxing promoter gave Mayweather and his representative, Golden Boy Promotions, until Monday (Tuesday in Manila) to decide. He said if they do not agree, he will sign a deal for Pacquiao to face former International Boxing Federation junior welterweight champion Paul "Paulie" Malignaggi.

Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer, however, said that tests conducted 30 days before the fight would make the blood test program useless. He and Mayweather's adviser, Leonard Ellerbe, had reportedly rejected Arum’s offer.

Hard-nosed negotiations

Schaefer told FanHouse.com that there is nothing they can do if ever Arum goes on to seal the deal with Malignaggi or any other fighter.

“I think that it is that hard-nosed negotiating which is going to ultimately kill the fight, because it sounds like to me that Bob Arum is already working on getting another fight done.

“If Arum walks away, then we obviously will be starting discussions in that regard. But right now, unlike Top Rank which has pretty much said for the last week, 'We don't need this, we don't need this' and has been setting deadlines, we have been trying to save the fight,” he stated.

The Golden Boy CEO went on to say that he made sure they have “exhausted all avenues” to see if the fight can be saved.

“Based on the ultimatums that Top Rank has issued, it seems like this is not going to happen. It seems to me that they have made up their mind that they want to go in a different route. And if they're walking away from this, then they're walking away from this.”

Take it or leave it

Golden Boy Promotions and Mayweather Promotions, meantime, issued a statement on Monday (Tuesday in Manila), in reaction to Arum’s deadline for them to decide on the drug testing matter.

“Let the record be clear: Manny Pacquiao and his promoter Bob Arum are threatening to walk away from the largest fight in history,” read the statement posted on PhilBoxing.com.

The statement noted that Team Mayweather “made major concessions” in many of the deal points such as the financial split, weight limit of 147 lbs., the $10 million per pound penalty for being overweight, the appointment of the foreign sales agent, production of the marketing assets and the gloves.

Mayweather’s camp was hoping that Team Pacquiao would concede to the request for random blood and urine testing.

“It is disappointing for us to see that the benefits of blood testing and the fact that many different substances and procedures can only be detected by blood testing, are still not fully understood by all.

“Their ‘take it or leave it’ approach where blood testing would stop 30 days prior to the fight unless the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) approved differently is another indication that they may not want this fight.”

The statement also debunked Pacquiao’s claims that he is not comfortable with having his blood taken less than 30 days before the fight: “The fact is that he did have blood taken just 14 days prior to his fight with Ricky Hatton, an event which was documented on HBO's 24/7 reality show.”

Team Mayweather also disclosed that it agreed to find another testing agency when Team Pacquiao said that the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) was an agent of Golden Boy Promotions. There was even a proposal to bring in an independent mediator such as US Sen. John McCain. Arum reportedly welcomed the suggestion but Pacquiao turned it down.

Anxious Floyd

Pacquiao earlier announced his plan to file a complaint against Mayweather and his camp for the doping accusations hurled against him. Mayweather’s father, Floyd Sr., indirectly alleged that Pacquiao was taking performance-enhancing drugs.

The NSAC cleared Pacquiao’s name, saying that he has never tested positive for drugs. Mayweather has also never tested positive.

“Let it be very clear that nobody from Team Mayweather or Golden Boy Promotions is accusing Pacquiao of anything. But the reality seems to be that for whatever reason Pacquiao does not want to participate in random blood testing, which has already been deemed a harmless procedure that many current athletes are subjected to prior to and during competition,” the statement continued.

The promotions companies also said they are still open to arriving at a “mutually agreeable understanding of the testing, which would be conducted by a mutually agreed upon agency.”

Meanwhile, Mayweather is said to be anxious to make the bout happen for the fans.

“As you might have noticed Floyd has been silently watching and patiently waiting for the final details of the fight to get worked out. As Floyd has already stated, he does not have a problem with the random procedure and will be under the same requirements as Pacquiao, it is simply hard for him to understand why there is reluctance on Pacquiao's part to agree to do the same,” the statement concluded.