Letter seeks drug-test fine
Leonard Ellerbe, the CEO of Mayweather Promotions and one of the men who negotiated the fight contract for the Mayweather side, said that Michael Koncz was both a moron and an idiot. He was commenting on a letter Koncz sent to the Mayweather camp, asking that their boxer sign an agreement to fork over $5 million to the other side in the event of a failed drug-test. Pacquiao would sign an identical agreement, the letter said.
“Michael Koncz is an idiot, and Manny Pacquiao should be ashamed to have him as his representative, in my opinion,” Ellerbe told ESPN. “It’s obvious he didn’t read the contract. Why would he have his fighter sign something he was not happy with? The deal was negotiated up and down by his promoter (Bob Arum) on behalf of Manny with Floyd and Mayweather Promotions, and it’s been well documented in the media for quite some time.”
For his part, Koncz seemed to think that asking them to sign an additional contract after the fact was nothing out of the ordinary. That despite the fact the two sides agreed in the fight contract to have the United States Anti-Doping Agency oversee comprehensive Olympic-style drug testing of the fighters. In fact, he had no trouble in justifying it.
“They have made derogatory statements for years about Manny (accusing him of using PEDs),” he said. “And now we challenged them by asking for the $5m fine, and they refused to do it. It’s disheartening.”
Fighters train for May 2
Koncz hasn’t responded to the name calling by Ellerbe, who said the entire question of a $5 million reciprocal fine for a failed drug-test was more about Koncz engaging in gamesmanship than about addressing any real issue.
“If this moron didn’t convey his fighter’s wishes when the negotiation was going on, that’s their problem,” Ellerbe said. “This is a lame-ass attempt to generate publicity.”
Meanwhile the fighters, under the guidance of their trainers, Floyd Mayweather Sr. and Freddie Roach, are preparing for the real fight, the one in the ring at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on May 2.
