The Filipino Reporter

SPORTS NEWS

Year 39, No. 6, Jan 15 - 21, 2010

Top Rank settles for Pacquiao-Clottey in Dallas on March 13

JOSHUA CLOTTEY

MANILA — It’s Manny Pacquiao vs. Joshua Clottey in Dallas.
Yes, the fight’s going to happen at Jerry Jones’ $1.3 billion Cowboys Stadium which fell short in its $25 million bid on the aborted superfight between Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr.

The fight will take place on March 13, the same day that was originally reserved for the Pacquiao-Mayweather showdown at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

“But Las Vegas is no longer available on March 13. So, most likely it’s Dallas. And it’s still March 13,” said Pacquiao’s adviser Mike Koncz.
He said Pacquiao leaves for Los Angeles on Jan. 17 to begin his eight-week training for the Clottey fight.

He will train in L.A. until the week before the fight when he takes a 160-minute flight to Dallas.

“The elections are coming up and there will be too many distractions if Manny trains in Baguio City,” said Koncz, referring to the May 10 elections where Pacquiao is seeking a congressional seat in his province of Sarangani.

It was not clear whether Mayweather would fight at the MGM Grand on March 13.

But it’s a possibility and they’re looking at Paulie Malignaggi as the opponent.

Hopes for a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight died after both parties could not agree on the blood-testing procedure.

Pacquiao wants it done 24 days before the fight, and Mayweather 14.

Another Pacquiao adviser Wakee Salud of Cebu had proposed a blood-testing 19 days before the fight but it seems that the proposal came a little too late.

Besides, there’s too much animosity now between the Pacquiao and Mayweather camps, after the Filipino boxing icon hurled the Mayweathers and his representatives from Golden Boy to court with a defamation suit.

The opposite camp had insisted on a stringent blood-testing Olympic-style because they suspect that Pacquiao, who has incredibly gone up in weight four times over the last 12 months, is into performance-enhancing drugs.

Now the blood-testing problem is gone, and so is the superfight that could have generated more than $100 million and given both fighters as much as $40 million each.

Clottey is also under Top Rank, like Pacquiao, and there shouldn’t be any problem sealing the fight.

Pacquiao’s new opponent, who lost to Miguel Cotto last June, will climb that ring with or without any blood tests.

Arum said from now on, Pacquiao will entertain no more demands for drug-testing, Olympic-style, and would insist on the way it’s always been done before, Nevada-style, which is mostly based on urine tests.

Falling into Mayweather’s trap, for random blood-testing, and being dragged into countless hours of negotiations did the fight in.

From the start, Pacquiao’s camp should have insisted that there’s no way it would happen.

“That was my biggest mistake, allowing any of this to happen. I should have said no. We’re not revisiting [blood testing]. We’re not negotiating with these punks anymore. If Mayweather wants to fight Pacquiao down the road, he will have to go by the testing the state commission asks for. If not, life goes on,” Arum told Sports Illustrated.

And that goes to any of Pacquiao’s future opponents as well.

Mayweather’s drug concerns: A fuss over nothing, say docs

FLOYD MAYWEATHER JR.

MANILA — Two Filipino doctors said Floyd Mayweather Jr. has no business making drug test demands on Manny Pacquiao because only the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) — or the host sports authority supervising their now-off-now-on bout — has jurisdiction and the power to order examinations that will provide evidence if a fighter uses illegal substances or not.

Both doctors, whose identities will remain undisclosed for ethical reasons, agreed that measures undertaken by the state authority are sufficient to detect either social drugs such as cannabis and cocaine or performance-enhancing substances such as anabolic-androgenic steroids.

In an extraordinary demand, Mayweather went over his head by insisting that the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) supervise random urine and blood testing before agreeing to fight Pacquiao.

Neither the USADA nor the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) is recognized by any boxing organization as a testing vehicle.

At the moment, the Pacquiao-Mayweather fight is off although a March 13 date remains in the calendar of the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

It was confirmed the other day that USADA chief Dr. Travis Tygart had contacted a well-known Filipino sports medicine specialist to coordinate tests on Pacquiao in case Mayweather’s demand is accepted.

If the coordination is cleared, Dr. Alex Pineda of the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) would be Dr. Tygart’s local contact.

Top Rank chairman Bob Arum raised a howl when the USADA said it would conduct seven blood and 12 urine tests on a random basis before and after the fight, with no cut-off dates.

Mayweather premised his demand on suspicion that Pacquiao is taking performance-enhancing drugs because of his ability to retain his speed and power despite moving up from one weight division to another.

Mayweather’s father Floyd Sr. has accused Pacquiao of taking steroids.
Anabolic-androgenic steroids increase muscle mass but trigger male hormonal body changes.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has waged a strong campaign against the use of steroids and, in coordination with WADA, is constantly testing athletes to isolate wrongdoers.

But while steroids may provide an unfair advantage to an athlete, it creates a major health risk.

“Anabolic-androgenic steroids increase lean muscle mass and strength when used in conjunction with training,” said Dr. Robert Voy in his book “Drugs, Sport and Politics.” “It is important to note that steroids work only in conjunction with an intensive weight training program. Steroids can’t do anything (that) training and nutrition cannot do, but they can change the body faster than normal.”

Pacquiao has never been known to engage in an “intensive weight training program” and strictly follows a functional muscle-fiber build-up regimen formulated by conditioning coach Alex Ariza and nutritionist Teri Tom.

Pacquiao has no problem with random urine tests but will only allow blood examinations 24 days before a fight and any day after.

His restriction is probably more for a psychological than a physiological reason.
Two days before Pacquiao fought Erik Morales in 2005, he submitted to a blood test when doctors lost the sample that was extracted weeks earlier.
Pacquiao said he felt weak because of the blood loss and was beaten by Morales on points.

He has not taken a blood test so close to a bout again and has since won 11 in a row.

A doctor said a blood test conducted by the USADA or WADA zeroes in on growth hormones and derivatives which are not conclusively detected in a urinalysis.

In particular, a blood test will determine if there has been infusion of extra blood in the body to increase the amount of red cells carrying oxygen to the muscle cells.

Pacquiao, however, is not being accused of blood doping.

A urine test should be sufficient to check if a fighter has taken steroids.
The first fighter to test positive for steroids was South African heavyweight Frans Botha who failed a urine examination after beating Axel Schulz on a split decision for the International Boxing Federation (IBF) title in Stuttgart in 1995.

The outcome was later declared a no-contest with Botha fined $50,000 and stripped of the crown.

Botha remains active today and will stake his World Boxing Federation (WBF) belt against Evander Holyfield in Kampala, Uganda on Feb. 20.

If Mayweather has real concerns about Pacquiao’s possible use of steroids, a urinalysis should prove conclusive and a blood test unnecessary.

A urine test will also detect use of social drugs.

Former IBF superbantamweight champion Kennedy McKinney tested positive for cocaine in a urinalysis after his fight against Joe Martinez in 1990, and was suspended six months by the NSAC.

Bert Blewett, in his book “The A-Z of World Boxing,” said, “drugs have become the scourge of boxing...the tragedy is that more than half the boxers in the Americas now suffer from (drug) problems.”

His reference was to social or recreational drugs, not to performance-enhancers.

“If you’re not a good athlete in the first place, a performance-enhancer won’t help,” said a Filipino doctor. “That’s why a great athlete like Pacquiao will always be under suspicion because he’s such an outstanding fighter. Mayweather is playing mind games and, for Pacquiao, it’s a matter of pride to stick to his principles.”

Pacquiao’s nutritionist Teri Tom called Mayweather Sr.’s charge that the Filipino icon takes steroids to retain his speed and power despite invading higher weight divisions an absurd accusation.

“I’m not even going to dignify that with an answer except to say that some guys are more genetically gifted than others,” said Tom who was recruited by Ariza to join Pacquiao’s training team last year. “I’ve seen over 900 clients in my nutrition practice — that’s a lot of bodies. I know that guys who’ve thought their whole lives that they’re hard gainers often find out that if we pinpoint exactly how much protein and calories they need, and if we monitor and adapt over time, their genetic potential far exceeds their expectations. Obviously, Manny has incredible genetic gifts. Our job is to bring the most out of those gifts.”

For his part, Ariza told the Philippine Star he could only expect crazy comments from someone who didn’t even finish high school.

“We use supplements, not steroids,” said Ariza. “Someone who never finished high school, like Mayweather, wouldn’t understand the difference and that’s why they make dumb comments.”

Team Philippines from Batangas bag 24 medals in Chicago

Team Philippines from Lipa City, Batangas bagged a total of 24 medals — 11 gold, 10 silver and three bronze — in the recently concluded Chicago International Winter Taekwondo Games. The triumphant team is composed of Jonas Byron Yago Obada, Alan Macalalad, Rodolfo Valenzuela, John Paul Ampongan, Casey Farbaniec, Lowell Remegio, Joaquin John Katigbak Tuazon, Johnearl Abante, Gerald Macaballug, Christine Reyes, Emmanuelle Pangilinan, Danica Reyes and Angela Villalobos. The group, led by head coach Rodolfo Valenzuela Jr. and team manager Jenifer Miranda, is invited to compete again next year in the annual event that showcases not only taekwondo skills but also friendship among participants from different continents, sportsmanship and camaraderie among athletes, as well as volunteers.