This was confirmed by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) Chief Executive Travis Tygart whose agency will conduct the random blood and urine tests for the two fighters all the way up to the night of the fight on May 2.
A founding member of the U.S. Olympic Committee, Major League Baseball and the NFL, USADA drug testing services has been used in Olympic sports for many years to prevent the use of banned substances in the competitions.
“It’s a strong statement of the importance of clean and safe competition to have these two fighters voluntarily agree to have a WADA-level anti-doping program implemented for this fight. We commend them for their stand for clean sport and the message it sends to all those who want to compete clean at the highest levels of all sport,” Tygart told Los Angeles Times.
Pacquiao’s promoter Bob Arum said there isn’t any issue about the much talked-about performance enhancing drugs that led to a lawsuit between Mayweather and Pacquiao camps several years ago, adding that both Mayweather and Pacquiao are not taking performance enhancing drugs.
“We’ve agreed on the USADA testing, and we’ve agreed to their rules. I believe a lot of this that was spread around [about Pacquiao’s reluctance to test] was unfortunate and nonsensical. There’s not any issue with Manny or Floyd. They aren’t taking performance-enhancing drugs,” said Arum, who wanted another drug testing agency to do the tests during the previous fight negotiations
The Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) has been conducting tests for Pacquiao in many of his fights in Las Vegas including the Pacquiao-Bradley fight and the agency has not found the Filipino boxing star positive for use of illegal drugs.
Both fighters have denied allegations in the past that they are using illegal or performance enhancing drugs.
