Mayweather and Pacquiao both sticking to their guns over testing, negotiations pointless?

Floyd Mayweather and Shane Mosley began their prefight testing today, each submitting what will be the first of many blood and urine samples.

The testing in this case is being conducted not by the Nevada State Athletic Commission, but by the USADA, or U.S Anti Doping Agency. The reason being that Mayweather in particular thinks the testing that the commissions insist on isn't stringent enough.

At the age of 34, Mayweather decided last year that Pacquiao was on some kind of performance enhancing drugs and that he should clean up the sport of boxing by making his opponents take tougher pre fight testing. How this helps the sport as a whole rather than just eases Mayweather's suspicions isn't clear at this juncture, and no other fighter has yet followed suit.

Asked about a potential showdown with pound for pound king and WBO world welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao, representatives from the Mayweather camp have said it is a possibility so long as Pacquiao submits to random testing by the USADA.

Top Rank boss Bob Arum countered by saying that they would do whatever testing the commission wanted them to do, which is a lot less stringent than the USADA.

Outwardly negotiations of this nature if they aren't successful will only serve to show that boxing is still a sport held back by the whims of fighters and that champions can always avoid each other and get away with it.With that being the case, and neither side likely to back down on their stance, is another round of negotiations really necessary or good for the sport?

Reportedly Pacquiao in the gym shows his coach Freddie Roach how he would beat Mayweather and get past his slippery defense. After the Joshua Clottey fight, Mayweather was reported to have seen something he thought he could beat Pacquiao with, although this interview was later refuted with Mayweater claiming not to have seen the fight at all.

Whatever the actual case of affairs, it doesn't look like there is much point to the two camps getting together and re-igniting the war between Golden Boy and Top Rank, which for the time being had calmed down.

Once again this impasse makes the commission look rather toothless in that they aren't taking sides with either fighter. Pacquiao wanting to play by their own rules, however limited they might be. Mayweather wanting to take things into his own hands and make up the testing rules as he goes along. Should the commission make a statement stating where they stand, and how they are going to improve testing in the future, both camps might be able to reach a compromise.

Miles Howard, Pittsburgh PA: "Its interesting how Floyd's campaign to clean up the sport has absolutely no support from anyone except the USADA (Who are making money from it). No other boxers have come forward and said they agree and no other fighter is insisting they and their opponent get extra testing"

James Murphy, Pittsburgh PA: "All these fighters care about is making themselves look good and their opponent look bad. Neither is bothered about the fans or Mayweather would drop this extra testing nonsense and Pacquiao would agree to extra testing"

Author: Scott Heritage

Source: Examiner.com